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OF  CALIFORNIA 

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THE  TRAGEDY  OF  POMPEY 
THE  GREAT 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

MEW  YORK  •  BOSTON  •   CHICAGO   •  DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •   SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LIMITED 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY   •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  LTD. 

TORONTO 


POMPEY  THE  GREAT 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF 

POMPEY  THE  GREAT 


BY 
JOHN  MASEFIELD 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  EVERLASTING  MERCY," 
"  THE  WIDOW  IN  THE  BYE  STREET,"  ETC. 


fork 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 
1914 

AU  rights  reserved 


COPTBIQHT,   1910, 

BY  JOHN  MASEFEELD. 

REVISED  EDITION 

COPYRIGHT,  1914, 

BY  JOHN  MASEFIELD. 

Set  up  and  electrotyped.    Published  February,  1914. 


TO 

MY  WIFE 


859781 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF  POMPEY 
THE  GREAT 


ARGUMENT 

IN  the  years  50  and  49  B.  c.,  Cneius  Pompeius  Magnus, 
the  head  of  the  patrician  party,  contested  with  G.  Julius 
Caesar,  the  popular  leader,  for  supreme  power  hi  the  State. 
Their  jealousy  led  to  the  troubles  of  the  Civil  War,  in 
which,  after  many  battles,  Cneius  Pompeius  Magnus  was 
miserably  killed. 

ACT  I.  The  determination  of  Pompeius  to  fight 
with  his  rival,  then  marching  upon  Rome. 

ACT.  II.  The  triumph  of  Pompey's  generalship  at 
Dyrrachium.  His  overthrow  by  the  generals 
of  his  staff.  His  defeat  at  Pharsalia. 

ACT.  III.  The  death  of  that  great  ruler  on  the  sea- 
shore of  Pelusium  in  Egypt. 


PERSONS 


ANTISTIA. 

PHILIP. 

A  Lute-Girl. 

COBNELJA. 

JULIA. 

Q.  CAECILIUS  METELLUS  Pros  SCIPIO. 

CNEIUS  POMPEIUS  MAGNUS  (called  Pompey  the  Great). 

CNEIUS  POMPEIUS  THEOPHANES. 

MARCUS  PoBcros  CATO. 

A  Gaulish  Lancer. 

Lucius  DOMHTUS  AHENOBAEBUS. 

COTTA,  a  Centurion. 

MARCUS  ACILIUS  GLABKIO. 

Lucius  LuccEros. 

Lucius  AFBANIUS. 

PUBLIUS  LENTULUS  SPINTHEB. 

A  Ship-Captain. 

A  Ship-Boy. 

A  Mate. 

A  Boatswain. 

ACHILLAS  EGYPTIAN. 

Lucius  SEPTIMIUS. 

Centurions,  Sentries,  Soldiers,  Trumpeters,  Sailors. 

SCENE.  TIME. 

ACT  I.         Rome.  January  A.U.C.  705  (B.C.  50). 

ACT  II       I  Dyrrachium.    J^y  A-u-c-  706. 

iPharsalia.         August    A.U.C.    709    (June 

B.C.  48). 
ACT  III.      Pelusium.         September  A.U.C.  706  (Aug. 

B.C.  48). 


THE  TRAGEDY  OF 

POMPEY  THE  GREAT 

ACT  I 

A  room  in  POMPEY 's  house  near  Rome.  Watts  hung  with 
draperies  of  a  dark  blue.  Doors  curtained.  Balcony, 
open,  showing  distant  lights.  A  gong  and  mattet. 
Wine,  glasses,  etc.  Papers  in  a  casket.  Lamps. 

Horns  without  as  troops  pass.  ANTISTIA  alone,  lighting 
lamps  with  a  taper. 

ANTISTIA  [looking  towards  the  window].  More 
soldiers.  Blow  your  horns.  Spread  your 
colours,  ensign.  Your  colours'll  be  dust  the 
sooner.  Your  breath  will  be  in  the  wind,  a 
little  noise  in  the  night.  That's  what  you 
come  to,  soldiers.  Dust,  and  a  noise  in  the 
trees.  Dust,  and  the  window  rattling.  No 

more  flags  and  horns  then.     [Lighting  the  last 

1 


2  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

lamp.]  I  wish  I  knew  the  rights  of  it.  [Set- 
tling books  on  table.]  I  wish  Philip  would 
come. 

A  VOICE  [without,  in  the  balcony].    Pompey. 

ANTISTIA.  What  was  that? 

THE  VOICE.  Pompey. 

ANTISTIA  [frightened].    Who  calls  Pompey? 

THE  VOICE.  Not  so  loud.  Not  so  loud, 
Pompey. 

ANTISTIA.  What  is  it?  What  d'  you  want 
with  Pompey? 

THE  VOICE.  Philip  must  tell  Pompey  at 
once. 

ANTISTIA.  What  must  he  tell  him? 

THE  VOICE.  To  stamp  his  foot  at  once. 

ANTISTIA.  To  stamp  his  foot  at  once? 

THE  VOICE  [amid  laughter].  Stamp  your 
foot,  Pompey.  Aha!  Ha!  Pompey. 

ANTISTIA  [going  to  the  window].  What's 
this?  Who  are  you? 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  3 

THE  VOICE  [going].  Aha!  Pompey.  Stamp 
your  feet,  Pompey. 

ANTISTIA  {going  to  a  door  R.  scared].  Philip, 
Philip. 

PHILIP  [putting  down  tray].  What's  the 
matter?  What's  happened? 

ANTISTIA.  There  was  a  voice.  A  voice. 
Something  at  the  window.  Jeering  Pompey. 

PHILIP  [opening  window].  Come  out  of  that. 
There's  no  one  there  now.  Was  it  a 
man? 

ANTISTIA.  There  was  no  one.  It  had  a  man's 
voice.  It  spoke.  It  laughed. 

PHILIP.  It's  gone.  It's  gone,  my  dear. 
Don't.  Don't.  It's  gone. 

ANTISTIA.  They  say  that  the  dead  come  back. 
To  cry  hi  the  night  [pause]  whenever  bad  times 
are  coming.  Dead  men's  souls.  They  want 
blood.  Licking.  Licking  blood  in  the  night. 
Whenever  Rome's  in  danger. 


4  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

PHILIP.  Hush.  Hush.  Don't  talk  such 
things.  It  gives  them  life.  What  was  it 
saying? 

THE  VOICE.  Stamp  your  foot,  Pompey. 
Stamp  your  foot,  Pompey. 

ANTISTIA.  Ah! 

PHILIP  [exorcising  at  window,  with  things  from 
tray].  Wine  for  blood.  [Pours  wine.]  Bread 
for  flesh.  [Breaks  bread.]  Salt  for  life.  [Flings 
salt.]  A  cloak  of  blue  on  Rome.  A  net  of 
gold  over  this  house.  To  the  desert.  To  the 
night  without  stars.  To  the  wastes  of  the  sea. 
To  the  two-forked  flame.  [Returning  heavily.] 
God  save  my  dear  master,  Pompey.  I  fear 
there's  trouble  coming. 

ANTISTIA  [hysterically].    Ah!  Ah! 

PHILIP  [pouring  water].  Drink  this.  Drink 
this.  I'll  fetch  another  glass. 

ANTISTIA  [hysterically].  Not  off  that  tray. 
Not  off  that  tray. 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  5 

PHILIP.  There.  There.  God  save  us!  Why, 
Antistia,  they've  no  power. 

ANTISTIA.  I  see  the  marching  of  armies. 
Dust.  Dust.  That  is  what  the  trumpets  mean. 
War.  Civil  War.  Pompey  and  Caesar.  Like 
eagles  struggling. 

PHILIP.  No.  No.  Don't  say  that.  You 
bring  things  to  pass. 

ANTISTIA.  What  else  could  it  mean?  What 
did  it  mean? 

PHILIP  [distractedly].  I  don't  rightly  know 
what  it  said. 

ANTISTIA.  About  stamping?  About  Pompey 
stamping? 

PHILIP.  Pompey  said  it.  In  the  Senate 
yesterday.  Reports  came  in.  There  was  a 
panic.  The  Senators  were  at  their  wits'  ends. 
News  came  that  Caesar  was  marching  on  Rome. 
They  asked  Pompey  if  he  had  an  army.  If  he 
could  defend  them. 


6  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

ANTISTIA.    Is  Caesar  coming? 

PHILIP.  It  was  one  of  these  wild  rumours. 

ANTISTIA.   What  did  Pompey  say? 

PHILIP.  He  said  if  he  stamped  his  foot, 
soldiers  would  spring  up  all  over  Italy. 
Armies  of  soldiers.  To  drive  Caesar  back  into 
Gaul. 

ANTISTIA.  And  now  he  must  stamp  his  foot. 
Caesar's  on  the  road  with  his  army. 

PHILIP.  It's  time  for  the  house  to  shake  when 
the  door-posts  quarrel.  [Pausing  at  distant 
tumult.] 

ANTISTIA.  They're  proud  ones,  to  set  the 
world  on  fire  so  as  one  of  them  may  warm  his 
hands. 

PHILIP.  Pompey's  only  defending  the  State. 
He  thinks  he's  a  great  one,  Caesar  does,  now  that 
he's  conquered  Gaul.  What  are  the  Gauls? 
The  Gauls  are  naked  heathen,  with  copper 
swords  like  the  savages.  Why,  Caesar  would 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  7 

never  have  been  anybody  if  Pompey  hadn't 
backed  him. 

ANTISTIA.  That's  reason  enough  for  him  to 
fight  Pompey  now. 

PHILIP..  Pompey  made  him  what  he  is. 
Pompey  got  him  his  place  in  Gaul.  He  was 
no  one  before  that.  [Pause.]  And  now  he 
hopes  to  put  Pompey  down.  So  he  can  rule 
Rome  instead.  Put  my  master  Pompey 
down. 

ANTISTIA.  I  suppose  Caesar  couldn't  beat 
Pompey,  Philip? 

PHILIP.  Antistia.  [Solemnly.]  Don't  you 
talk  like  that,  Antistia.  I  believe  wherever 
Pompey  goes,  there  goes  a  god  in  front  of  him. 
Like  fire.  It's  that  makes  him  what  he  is.  Oh, 
my  dear  beloved  master.  I'm  that  drove  mad, 
I  can't  hardly  talk  of  it.  That  he  should  have 
a  civil  war  with  Csesar.  And  him  only  newly 
married. 


8  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

ANTISTIA.  It  was  a  civil  war  that  first  made 
Pompey  famous,  Philip. 

PHILIP.  He  was  with  Sulla,  against  Marius. 
In  the  civil  wars  then.  And  ever  since  then 
he's  gone  on.  Just  as  though  a  god  went  before 
him,  brushing  a  road  for  him.  You  would  see 
nothing  but  dangers  all  round.  And  Pompey 
would  ride  up.  And  [he  blows  in  his  hand]  puff. 
They'd  fade.  They'd  go.  [Pause.]  I've 
seen  all  Rome  out  on  the  roofs  to  see  my  master, 
Pompey.  Triumph?  There  were  horns  blow- 
ing, you  couldn't  hear.  And  forty  kings  march- 
ing barefoot  hi  the  streets.  I've  seen  him  grow 
to  be  the  greatest  man  hi  the  world. 

ANTISTIA.  Eh?  The  greatest  man  in  the 
world.  And  all  through  being  with  Sulla  in  the 
civil  war.  Supposing  he  were  not  great,  Philip. 
Only  a  big  clay  statue.  A  statue  propped  up  by 
sticks.  A  clay  thing,  gilded.  Rats  gnawing  at 
it.  The  wind  shaking  it.  The  sun  cracking  it. 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  9 

[Pause.]  And  dead  men,  Philip.  Dead  men 
underneath  it  in  the  dust,  fumbling  at  it  to 
bring  it  down. 

PHILIP.  Antistia. 

ANTISTIA.  Time  brings  all  about,  they  say. 
You  spoke  of  Sulla,  Philip.  I  was  a  little  girl 
then,  when  Marius  and  Sulla  fought.  My 
father  was  a  centurion  under  Marius.  I  never 
told  you  that.  What  do  you  know  of  me,  Philip, 
except  that  I'm  to  marry  you?  I  was  in  the 
street  outside  our  house,  and  some  men  came 
across  the  road.  They  patted  my  head  and 
asked  if  my  father  was  upstairs.  I  said  yes, 
Philip.  And  they  went  in  and  brought  him  out. 
Out  to  the  door  hi  the  sun.  Some  boys  gathered 
to  watch.  I  ran  up  to  him,  Philip,  to  show 
him  my  doll.  And  one  of  the  men  said,  'We'll 
give  you  Marius.'  He  was  behind  my  father. 
He  swung  his  arm  right  back  like  this,  to  give 
his  sword  a  sweep.  He  knocked  my  dada  down 


10  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

with  a  great  hack  on  the  neck,  and  they  all 
stabbed  him  as  he  fell.  One  of  the  men  said, 
'There's  your  dada,  little  girl;  run  and  tell 
mother.'  And  then  one  of  the  boys  knelt  down 
and  stole  his  sandals,  and  another  snatched  my 
doll  away.  Tune  brings  all  about,  Philip.  All 
the  lives  spilt  then  by  Pompey  and  Sulla.  They 
are  coming  out  of  the  night.  Out  of  Spain. 
Out  of  Rome.  Out  of  Asia.  Souls  have  power, 
Philip,  even  in  the  darkness,  when  the  time 
comes. 

PHILIP  [awed].    What  tune? 

ANTISTIA.  Pompey's  time.  There.  There. 
It's  beginning.  [Noise  of  a  tumult.  The  horns 
of  Soldiers.] 

PHILIP  [at  window].  Some  of  Rome  seems  to 
be  burning.  Pray  God  the  Senate's  safe. 
[Pause.]  We  shall  have  to  put  off  our  marriage, 
Antistia. 

ANTISTIA.  Why,  thus  it  is.    We  put  off  and 


Act  /]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  1JL. 

put  off  till  youth's  gone,  and  strength's  gone, 
and  beauty's  gone.  Till  two  dry  sticks  mumble 
by  the  fire  together,  wondering  what  there  was 
in  life,  when  the  sap  ran. 

PHILIP.  I  must  be  with  my  master,  Antistia. 

ANTISTIA.  Your  master.  When  you  kiss  the 
dry  old  hag,  Philip,  you'll  remember  these  arms 
that  lay  wide  on  the  bed,  waiting,  empty. 
Years.  You'll  remember  this  beauty.  All  this 
beauty.  That  would  have  borne  you  sons;  but 
for  your  master.  [A  noise  of  a  lute  off.]  Your 
mistress  too,  perhaps.  Here  she  comes.  Here 
comes  the  young  wife,  that  will  have  little  joy 
of  her  man.  She  with  her  lute  girl,  twanging  a 
march  for  her.  Here  she  comes.  Open  the  door. 

PHILIP.  Our  mistress. 

Enter,   CORNELIA  and  JULIA.     The  Servants 
place  chairs  for  the  ladies. 

CORNELIA.  That  will  do,  Antistia.  Philip, 
you  may  go.  [Exeunt  PHILIP  and  ANTISTIA. 


12  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

JULIA.  But  tell  me.  What's  going  to  happen? 
Is  Caesar  really  going  to  fight  your  husband,  or 
is  it  only  a  feint  to  get  your  husband  out  of 
Rome? 

CORN.  I  don't  know  what  to  think,  Julia. 
He's  a  danger.  He's  got  such  power  with  the 
mob.  He's  got  this  army  in  Gaul.  Of  course, 
that's  a  very  great  menace. 

JULIA.  But  what  are  his  plans?  What  does  he 
want? 

CORN.  He  wants  to  rule  Rome.  He  plans  to 
be  elected  Consul.  He  is  lying  in  Gaul  there, 
thinking,  I  think,  to  frighten  every  one  into 
electing  him. 

JULIA.  I  wish  you  could  make  your  husband 
put  down  all  this  rioting.  [Noise  without.] 

CORN,  \going  to  the  window].  I  wish  my  father 
would  come  in,  Julia,  I'm  anxious.  What  has 
the  Senate  decided?  [She  walks  up  and  down.] 

JULIA.  That  Caesar  must  dismiss  his  army. 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  13 

I  don't  think  it's  anything  to  make  you  anxious. 
How  is  your  father?  What  does  he  think? 

CORN.  He  thinks  that  my  husband  ought  to 
put  Caesar  down  with  a  strong  hand. 

A  VOICE  WITHOUT.  Present  arms. 

COEN.  Who's  that?  Come  in.  [The  door  is 
shaken  and  opened  violently.] 

Enter  her  father,  METELLTJS  SCIPIO. 

Father. 

JULIA.  We   were   just   talking   about   you. 

MET.  Where's  your  husband?  Is  he  here? 
Has  he  been  here? 

CORN.  No,  father.   What  is  it? 

MET.  Still  at  the  House?  He  must  have  had 
my  note.  Has  he  sent  round  to  you? 

CORN.  No.    What  has  happened? 

MET.  I  must  talk  to  you,  Cornelia. 

JULIA  [rising].    Good-bye,  dear. 

MET.  No.    No,  Cornelia.    She  mustn't  go. 


14  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

You'll  have  to  sleep  here,  my  dear  girl.  The 
streets  aren't  safe  to-night.  Sit  down.  Please 
sit  down.  We're  all  in  the  same  boat.  [Pause.] 
Cornelia.  What's  your  husband  going  to  do? 

CORN.  Father.  But  I  don't  know.  He  tells 
me  nothing.  Nothing  at  least  that  is  not 
common  knowledge. 

MET.  I've  had  letters.  Caesar's  advancing 
into  Italy.  With  all  his  army. 

CORN.  To  fight  us?    To  attack  Rome? 

MET.  Yes.  It's  what  I  always  feared.  But 
I  never  thought  the  man  would  be  such  a  black- 
guard. 

CORN.  Does  my  husband  know  of  this? 

MET.  Yes.  I  sent  word  to  him  at  the  Senate 
to  meet  me  here.  I  had  to  ride  out  to  the  camp. 
Cornelia.  I  don't  understand  your  husband. 
My  dear  girl,  he's  been  playing  with  the  situa- 
tion. I  don't  think  you  understand  even  now. 
It  means  that  the  whole  of  Rome  is  being  handed 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  15 

over  to  a  political  brigand.  All  the  governing 
classes,  the  religion  of  our  fathers,  all  that  has 
made  Rome  great.  This  cut-throat  is  marching 
to  destroy  it.  Something  happened  at  the  camp. 

CORN.  What,  father? 

MET.  The  men.  The  soldiers.  Roman  sol- 
diers. Men  who  had  eaten  the  bread  and  salt. 
They  refused  duty.  Romans.  Bribed  to  that. 
By  this  upstart,  Caesar. 

CORN.  They  will  stand  and  see  Rome  sacked 
by  this  outlaw. 

MET.  I  must  see  your  husband.  He's  played 
with  us.  He  must  save  us. 

CORN.  There.  There.  He's  coming.  There's 
the  sentry. 

A  VOICE  WITHOUT.    Attention.    Eyes  right. 

MET.  Thank  God. 

A  VOICE  WITHOUT.   Present  arms. 

CRIES.  Hail!  Pompey.  Imperator.  [A  trum- 
pet blows  a  flourish.] 


16  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

A  VOICE  WITHOUT.  Company.  By  the  right. 
Quick.  March. 

PHILIP  enters,  opening  doors  wide,  saluting, 
showing  the  fasces  lining  the  door.  Enter 
POMPEY.  He  carries  a  despatch  box.  ME- 
TELL-us  salutes. 

[Exit  PHILIP.     Doors  shut. 

POMPEY.  Ah,  Julia.  Ah,  Cornelia.  [He  goes 
to  her,  and  looks  into  her  eyes.]  Ah,  beloved. 
[Slowly.]  There  will  be  always  peace  for  me, 
in  that  calm  soul.  [Turning  wearily.]  I  think 
that  Sertorius  was  right,  Julia. 

JULIA.  Why? 

POMPEY.  In  our  long  Spanish  wars,  he 
planned  to  steal  away  to  the  Fortunate  Islands. 
He  could  be  quiet  a  little  there.  [He  goes  to 
table  dejectedly.] 

MET.  You  got  my  note? 

POMPEY.  Yes.   Yes.    [He  sits  like  one  stunned.] 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  17 

MET.  Man.  What  are  you  going  to  do? 
Csesar's  marching  on  Rome  with  forty  thousand 
men. 

CORN.  But  you  can  check  him.    You  must. 

MET.  Do  you  understand?  The  whole — 
Does  the  Senate  know? 

POMPEY  [opening  his  despatch  box].  Sit  down, 
dear.  [To  CORNELIA.]  Sit  down.  The  Senate 
knows.  There  were  seven  hundred  of  us  in  the 
Senate.  Seven  hundred  of  the  best  men  in 
Rome,  sitting  there,  at  sunset,  waiting.  I  had 
to  stand  up,  among  them.  I  had  to  tell  them 
that  one  who — that  a  man  whom  I — a  man 
very  dear  to  me — was  marching.  With  an 
army.  Against  this  Rome.  To  destroy  all 
that  that  great  house,  in  generations  of  honour, 
has  built  up  here,  of  virtue,  of  justice,  of  free- 
dom, to  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

MET.  Yes.    Go  on.    Go  on. 

CORN.  What  are  they  going  to  do? 


18  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  1 

POMPEY.  Many  there  were  in  the  pay  of— 
that  man. 

MET.  How  did  they  take  it? 

POMPEY.  They  were  silent.  But  a  murmur 
ran  through  the  house.  They  moved  in  their 
chairs.  Even  those  most  glad  were  awed. 
[Pause.]  Then  Tullus,  a  man  who  owes  his 
bread  to  me.  He  is  in  Caesar's  pay  now.  Rose 
up  smiling.  To  ask  me  what  troops  I  had  for 
the  defence  of  Rome. 

MET.  Yes.  And  you,  the  guardian  of  Rome, 
what  troops  have  you? 

POMPEY.  I  said  that  with  the  two  legions  sent 
back  from  Gaul,  and  with  those  reserves  called 
up  from  the  country,  I  might  have  thirty 
thousand  men. 

MET.  What  is  all  this  talk  of  you  might  have? 
Those  two  legions  are  hi  Caesar's  pay.  They're 
in  mutiny  at  the  camp.  They're  drawn  up 
there.  Ranged  under  the  eagles.  Their  colonels 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  19 

are  Caesar's,  body  and  soul.  They  refuse  to 
move.  As  for  your  reserves,  they're  with  the 
people.  They're  all  for  Csesar.  They  came 
crowding  out  of  their  tents  crying,  Peace! 
Peace!  They  won't  fight.  You've  mocked  us. 
You've  tricked  us.  You've  betrayed  Rome. 

POMPEY.  So  they  said  in  the  Senate. 

MET.  Why  did  you  not  prepare  for  this? 
You've  had  months  hi  which  to  prepare? 

POMPEY.  I  have  prepared  for  it,  Metellus. 
But  I  did  not  expect  it.  I  thought  that  a  noble 
act  would  be  remembered,  for  more  than  twenty 
years.  I  thought  that  this  Rome  would  be  more 
to  a  man  than  a  lust  for  power.  And  old  friend- 
ship, I  thought  something. 

MET.  I've  no  patience  with  you.  [He  sits 
with  twitching  hands.] — [Starting  up.]  Well. 
We  know  what  you  haven't  done.  At  least  tell 
us  what  you  have  done. 

POMPEY.     Yes.     I'll     tell     you,     Metellus. 


20  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

[Pause.]  When  this  began  between  us,  I 
thought  of  my  own  time  under  Sulla.  I'd 
carried  the  eagles  into  Africa.  I  was  a  young 
man,  then.  I  did  rash  things.  But  I  was  lucky. 
I  conquered  Africa.  Sulla  sent  word  to  me  then 
to  disband  my  army,  and  return.  [To  JULIA 
and  CORNELIA.]  [Pause.]  I  resented  Sulla's 
order.  My  soldiers  resented  it.  They  asked 
me  to  be  their  King  in  Africa.  I  obeyed  Sulla. 
I  thought — if  I  did — it  might  be  easier — for  the 
next  young  conqueror — to  obey,  too.  Not  to 
cause  civil  war. 

CORN.  He  thought — we  both  thought,  father, 
that  Caesar  would  remember  that.  We  had 
planned  how  all  our  party,  all  the  Senate  even, 
should  go  out  into  the  fields  to  welcome  Csesar. 
As  Sulla  welcomed  my  husband  then.  If  he 
came  home  alone.  Disbanding  his  army.  That 
would  have  been  a  triumph  for  Caesar  greater 
than  any  Consulship.  But  Csesar  only  thinks 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  21 

of  present  power.  He  would  see  the  glory  of 
Rome  pass  rather  than  not  see  that. 

POMPEY.  I  did  not  think  that  Caesar  would  be 
blind  to  the  glory  of  Rome  [going  to  the  win- 
dow]. 

MET.  I'll  quote  some  other  words  to  you. 
Something  which  you  said  once  in  Sicily.  '  What 
is  all  this  talk  of  law,'  you  said,  Ho  us  that  have 
swords  by  our  sides?'  What?  You  remember 
those  words?  Will  you  sit  still,  and  see  Rome 
sacked?  See  the  rabble  make  beastly  all  that 
seven  centuries  has  made  here?  See  their  filthy 
hands  laid — laid  on  these  delicate  ladies?  See 
our  temples  spoiled  that  then'  rat-faced  brats 
may  grow  up  to  eat  free  bread,  and  loaf  and  spit 
outside  the  beer-shops.  Pah!  What  did  the 
Senate  say? 

POMPEY.  They  gave  me  absolute  power 
here. 

MET.    What?    Then  send  out  your  press. 


22  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

Bill  every  able-bodied  man.  Bill  the  women  if 
the  men  won't  come. 

POMPEY.  No,  Metellus.    Not  that. 

MET.  What  then,  man?  [CORNELIA  inter- 
poses. Speaking  to  her  husband.] 

CORN.  It  is  a  question  now,  dear  heart,  of 
standing  for  the  right.  The  right  side  is  always 
the  weaker  side.  War  is  terrible.  It's  such  a 
loathsome  kind  of  spiritual  death.  But  it  is 
better  to  have  war,  than  to  see  law  set  aside. 
The  will  of  Rome  must  not  be  slighted.  I 
don't  mean  the  popular  cry.  That  is  all  for 
Caesar  now,  dear.  It  was  all  for  you  once.  It 
will  be  again.  I  mean  all  the  burning  thought 
of  so  many  generations  of  our  fathers.  That 
must  not  be  set  aside  for  the  lust  of  one  man.  It 
is  the  duty  of  a  Roman,  dear  heart,  to  go  out 
under  the  eagles  to  defend  that  burning  thought, 
the  Will  of  Rome.  Even  if  he  goes  alone.  And 
you  will  not  go  alone.  The  souls  of  our  fathers 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  23 

will  march  with  you.  And  if  you  die,  dear  one, 
defending  what  they  died  to  make,  you  will  die 
as  I  would  have  my  lover  die. 

POMPEY.  Ah!  Cornelia.  You  make  death 
hard.  But  it  would  be  sweet  to  die  so  for  you. 
To  die.  To  join  that  Senate  of  the  old  Romans; 
the  wise  ones.  To  bring  them  news  of  Rome 
there.  In  the  shadows. 

CORN.  Saying  that  you  come  crowned.  Hav- 
ing played  the  Roman.  'Having  obeyed  their 
laws.' 

MET.  [quickly].  Go  on,  girl.  Oh,  move  him, 
Cornelia.  Goad  him  to  action.  I  cannot.  For 
Rome's  sake.  Move  him.  Get  him  out  of  this 
child's  mood. 

POMPEY.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  [Slowly.]  I  shall 
fight  Csesar.  [Sharply.] 

MET.  Ah!  [Excitedly.]  But  at  once.  Give 
him  no  tune  to  win  recruits  by  success.  Give 
them  no  tune  here.  The  rabble  don't  hesitate. 


24  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

They  don't  understand  a  man  who  hesitates. 
Give  me  all  the  cavalry.  Look.  I'll  mount  six 
cohorts  of  slingers.  I  can  worry  him  with  those. 

POMPEY.  Where's  the  map?  [He  quickly 
takes  map  from  wall.]  It's  the  effect  here,  not 
the  beating  of  Csesar.  We  must  stiffen  the 
towns  against  him.  Show  them  that  they'll 
have  to  back  their  choice  with  their  blood. 
That'll  check  his  advance. 

MET.  Caesar's  quick,  mind.  He  marches 
light,  and  he  comes  a  devil  of  a  pace.  [Mus- 
ingly.] 

POMPEY.  You  say  he's  got  forty  thousand 
men?  Let's  see  your  despatch.  Who  sent  it? 
[Taking  paper.]  Can  you  trust  this  man? 

MET.  Yes.    A  clever  young  fellow. 

POMPEY.  Young?   Where's  he  served? 

MET.  He  was  on  Crassus'  staff  in  Parthia. 
In  the  smash. 

POMPEY.  I  don't  trust  ghosts. 


Act  I\  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  25 

MET.  Ghosts? 

POMPEY.  What  escapes  when  an  army's 
destroyed  like  Crassus'?  [Reading.]  Forty 
thousand  men.  Shrewd.  This  is  a  shrewd  lad, 
Metellus.  He's  read  a  lot  of  school-books,  this 
man.  Come.  Forty  thousand? 

MET.  Yes. 

POMPEY.  No.  It's  not  possible,  Metellus. 
This  is  politics.  Not  war.  He's  forcing  our 
hand.  His  army's  miles  away.  He's  rushing 
the  frontier  with  a  few  picked  men.  The  pick 
of  his  light  foot,  and  these  light  Gaulish  lancers. 
It's  a  bold  dash  to  put  all  Rome  in  a  panic. 

MET.  [biting  his  nails].  That's  not  what 
you'd  have  done. 

POMPEY.  That's  how  I  know  I'm  right. 
[Standing.]  Take  the  cavalry.  Get  into  touch 
with  him.  Harass  him.  Hang  on  to  him. 
Worry  him  all  the  time.  I'll  come  on  with  all 
I  can  get. 


26  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  \Act  1 

MET.  Take  the  gladiators. 

POMPEY.  No.  This  is  a  Roman  question. 
No  paid  slaves  shall  decide  Rome's  fate. 

MET.  We  shall  be  a  desperate  lot  without 
them. 

CORN.  The  Navy.  Land  men  from  the 
ships. 

MET.  They  can't  march.  This  campaign  is 
a  race. 

POMPEY.  No.  No.  Look.  [Excitedly]  I'll 
send  gallopers  to  the  fleet  at  Brindisi.  I'll  tell 
them  to  lash  north,  forced  rowing.  They'd 
catch  him  at  Pisaurum.  They  could  cut  in  on 
his  left  flank.  So  much  for  the  attack.  The 
city  here's  the  problem. 

MET.  Damn  the  city  here.  The  city's  for  the 
winner.  Always. 

POMPEY  [musing].  Caesar's  got  an  army  in 
occupation  here  already.  Now  to  secure  Rome. 

MET.  [quickly].    The  patricians.    Let  the  pa- 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  27 

tricians  form  a  Committee  of  Public  Safety. 
They'll  settle  Caesar's  mobs. 

CORN.  No.  No.  There'd  be  massacre  all 
over  Rome.  All  frightened  men  are  merciless. 

MET.  Be  quiet,  girl.   Yes,  man. 

POMPEY.  No.  That's  the  wild  thing  the 
desperate  man  always  does  to  make  his  cause 
more  desperate.  It  would  madden  the  mob 
against  us.  Our  task  is  to  win  the  mob. 

CORN.  Leave  Cato  in  command  here. 

MET.  What? 

CORN.  Let  Cato  raise  a  force  purely  to  defend 
Rome.  Not  a  party  force  at  all. 

POMPEY.  Yes,  Cato.  He  stands  outside 
parties.  He  has  power  over  both. 

MET.  No,  I  say.  Power?  That  man  with 
power.  Bah!  He  reminds  every  one  of  grand- 
papa. That's  why  he's  popular. 

POMPEY.  It's  popularity  that's  wanted. 

MET.  It's    power    that's    wanted.      A    few 


28  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

crucified  mutineers.  Not  Cato  telling  us  of 
good  King  Numa. 

POMPEY  [picking  up  the  hammer  of  his  gong]. 
We'll  send  for  Cato. 

MET.  No.    No. 

POMPEY.  Yes. 

MET.  Wait  a  minute. 

POMPEY.  Well? 

MET.  We  want  a  soldier  here. 

POMPEY.  We  want  a  man  whom  everybody 
can  trust. 

MET.  Cato's  not  firm  enough. 

POMPEY.  I  want  Rome  calm,  not  intimidated. 

MET.  I'm  not  going  to  serve  if  that  man's 
left  behind  in  Rome. 

POMPEY.  Oh,  don't  say  that.  What  are  your 
reasons  against  Cato?  In  this  instance. 

MET.  How  will  Cato  deal  with  the  mutineers 
in  camp? 

POMPEY.  Ah!     There.     [Pause.]     Yes.     We 


Act  7]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  29 

can't  be  hard  on  those  poor  fellows.  Try  and 
see  it  as  they  see  it.  They've  had  the  choice  of 
refusing  duty  or  beginning  a  civil  war. 

MET.  A  soldier's  first  duty  is  obedience. 

POMPEY.  Is  it?  I'd  rather  have  him  a  man 
first,  myself.  Only  very  good  soldiers  mutiny. 
Did  you  never  notice  that? 

MET.  No.  Nor  you.  They  must  be  made 
examples  of. 

POMPEY  [smiling].  Come.  Some  wine,  Me- 
tellus. 

MET.  [crossly].  This  isn't  a  tune  for  wine. 
[He  stalks  up  and  down  the  room.]  Suppose 
we're  beaten.  I  tell  you  if  we're  beaten  you'll 
want  more  than  old  Father  Cato  here.  You'll 
want  a  man  to  stamp  out  Caesar's  faction. 
I'd  stop  their  smiling.  By  the  tune  Caesar 
stormed  Rome  he'd  find  few  of  his  friends  left. 
I'd  make  Rome  so  sick  with  blood.  By.  She'd 
think  no  more  of  Caesar. 


30  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

POMPEY.  My  God!  The  streets  ran  blood. 
In  Sulla's  time.  That  once.  The  carts  drove 
over  them. 

MET.  That  was  child's  play  to  what  this 
will  be. 

POMPEY.  Yes.  Suppose  we're  beaten.  Rome 
stormed.  No,  no,  never!  [He  flings  the  map 
aside.]  No.  I'll  give  up  Italy  rather.  I  will 
not  fight  in  Italy.  Caesar's  rabble  shall  have  no 
excuse  for  sacking  Rome. 

MET.  What?  [A  pause.]  Where  will  you 
fight  hull  then?  In  Spain,  where  your  army 
is? 

CORN.  Not  in  Spam. 

MET.  Why  not  in  Spain? 

POMPEY.  No.  You  know  the  proverb. 
Spain's  a  country  where  a  big  army  starves 
and  a  little  army  gets  beaten.  I  know,  I've 
fought  there.  And  it's  far  from  Rome,  and 
too  near  Gaul.  No,  Macedonia.  We'll  go 


Ad  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  31 

over  with  the  fleet  to  Macedonia.  There  are 
five  good  legions  from  Crassus'  smash  in  Mace- 
donia. We'll  prepare  an  army  there. 

MET.  Yes.  But  your  friends  in  Rome.  Our 
party  here?  The  Senate?  The  Consuls? 

POMPEY.  They  must  come  with  us  at  once  to 
Brindisi,  where  the  fleet  lies.  We'll  take  ship 
there.  [Writing.]  I'm  writing  to  Domitius 
at  Corfinium,  to  join  me  instantly  with  his 
twenty  cohorts.  [Musing.]  I  wonder.  If  he 
stays,  he  will  be  invested.  And  he  will  stay, 
he's  as  obstinate  as  a  mule.  If  he  marches 
south  at  once  we  shall  have  twenty  thousand. 
If  not,  we  must  leave  him  to  his  fate.  I  must 
abandon  Italy. 

MET.  [slowly].  There's  something  in  it.  Yes. 
I  wonder. 

POMPEY.  It's  not  so  risky.  Fighting  now  is 
backing  losing  cards. 

MET.  We  shall  lose  friends. 


32  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

POMPEY.  We  shall  gain  time. 

MET.  Let's  see  the  map.  [He  takes  another 
map.]  I  like  it.  Yes.  It's  a  good  move. 

POMPEY.  Caesar  will  attack  my  army  in 
Spain,  first. 

MET.  Afraid  of  its  invading  his  dear  Gaul, 
you  mean? 

POMPEY.  He'll  have  no  choice  in  the  matter. 
He's  got  no  ships  to  follow  us.  I've  got  the 
Navy.  While  he's  building  ships,  I'll  build  an 
Army.  If  he  fights  my  generals  hi  Spam,  it 
will  be  a  year  before  he  can  follow  me.  We 
shall  have  a  great  army  by  that  time. 

MET.  Yes.  An  army,  eh?  Macedonian  pha- 
lanx, eh?  We'll  send  out  a  fiery  sign  through 
Macedonia.  All  the  swordsmen  of  the  hills  will 
come.  Out  of  Dacia,  out  of  Thrace.  Jove, 
what  an  army!  With  Egypt  at  your  back, 
too. 

POMPEY.  Yes.    Egypt's  full  of  my  old  sol- 


Act  /]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  33 

diers.  We  can  always  fall  back  on  King 
Ptolemy.  [He  becomes  sad.]  Ah,  well.  Ah, 
well. 

CORN.  What  is  it? 

POMPEY  [quickly].  Nothing.  [He  rises.]  I 
was  thinking  of  all  this  kingliness  wandering  in 
little  wild  Greek  towns. 

CORN.  The  kingly  mind  always  lives  in  a 
kingly  city. 

POMPEY  [eagerly].    Ah!   Who  said  that? 

CORN.  You  said  it. 

POMPEY.  Ah.  Where's  the  fire  that  scatters 
those  sparks?  Why  doesn't  it  burn  in  us 
always? 

MET.  [excitedly].  It's  burning  now.  Look 
here.  Listen.  Look  here.  Your  idea  of 
Macedonia.  Splendid!  Caesar  won't  follow. 
[Slapping  the  table.}  He'll  be  afraid.  Part 
the  world  between  you.  Let  Caesar  keep  the 
West.  You  be  King  in  the  East.  Build  up 


34  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

another  Rome  in  Athens.  With  you  in  the 
East,  we  could  do  what  Alexander  did.  We 
could 

POMPEY.  No  more  ambitions,  Metellus.  You 
see  where  ambition  leads. 

MET.  [flushed].  You  wait  till  you  see  those 
Dacians.  Big,  black,  clean-limbed  fellows, 
Julia,  with  swords  and  steel  shields.  They 
charge  like  cavalry.  [Refills  wine.] 

POMPEY.  So,  Macedonia. 

MET.  Yes,  Macedonia. 

CORN.  When? 

POMPEY.  Now,  dear. 

CORN.  To-night? 

POMPEY.  It  doesn't  give  you  much  time.  It 
will  be  hard  for  you  to  leave  all  your  pretty 
things  behind. 

CORN.  I  was  thinking  about  your  night's 
rest.  Life  is  book  and  picture  to  me.  All  that 
is  Rome  to  us  comes  with  us. 


Act  7]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  35 

MET.  Well  then  [rolling  up  the  map  with  a 
click],  boot  and  saddle. 

POMPEY.  Take  what  men  you  have,  Metellus. 
And  press  post  horses.  You'll  want  my  orders 
though.  [He  strikes  the  gong.] 

Enter  PHILIP. 

PHILIP.  Sir. 

POMPEY.  Ask  Theophanes  to  speak  to  me  a 
moment.  [Exit  PHILIP. 

Met.  That  Greek  writer-fellow.  I  don't 
know  how  you  stand  that  man. 

Enter  THEOPHANES,  who  bows  and  is  saluted. 

POMPEY.  Sit  down.  [He  takes  papers  from 
despatch  box.]  We're  going  to  Macedonia.  We 
take  ship  at  Brindisi.  These  orders  to  our 
party.  Have  them  filled  in  and  sent  round. 

THEO.  Yes.    But  you  won't  want  them. 

i 

POMPEY.  You  mean  that —  What  do  you 
mean? 


36  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

THEO.      I    mean,    you    won't    want    them. 

Caesar's  at  Cremona.     He's  not  marching  on 

i 
Rome.    He's  encamped  in  his  own  province. 

It  was  a  false  alarm. 

ALL.  What? 

POMPEY.  How  do  you  know  that? 

THEO.  Labienus  has  just  come  in..  Caesar's 
right-hand  man.  I've  been  talking  to  him. 
Caesar's  sending  messengers  with  new  proposals 
to  you.  He's  not  marching  on  Rome. 

MET.  So  we  go  on  again. 

POMPEY.  What  are  the  new  proposals?  Does 
he  know? 

THEO.  [shrugging  his  shoulders].  His  men  are 
beginning  to  shrink,  I  suppose,  now  that  it 
comes  to  the  touch.  I  don't  blame  'em. 

JULIA.  Do  you  think  it's  an  excuse  to  gam 
time? 

CORN.  Ah,  no,  Julia.  -Let  us  give  Caesar 
credit  for  a  little  nobleness. 


Act  1\  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  37 

MET.  Pah!  He  was  in  Catiline's  conspiracy. 
It  was  proved  beyond  a  doubt.  Well,  Pompey. 
What  are  you  going  to  do? 

POMPEY.  It  is  very  wonderful.  I  must  see 
Cato.  [Going.] 

MET.  The  lath  and  plaster  Spartan.    Why? 

THEO.  He's  here. 

CATO,  in  black  robes,  enters.   He  stands  with 
arms  folded,  looking  at  them  all. 

MET.  Well,  sir? 

POMPEY.  Yes,  Cato? 

CORN.  You've  heard?    Won't  you  sit  down? 

CATO.  So  this  is  the  family  party.  Well, 
Pompey.  Now  I  see  the  drags  that  hinder  your 
honesty.  [To  JULIA.]  You.  The  critic.  You 
with  neither  art  nor  brain.  Thinking  you  show 
both  by  condemning  them  hi  others. 

JULIA.  Do  you  show  art  and  brain  by  con- 
demning me? 


38  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

CATO.  Look  into  your  heart,  woman. 

CATO  [to  METELLUS].  You,  sir.  The  General. 
A  tailor  and  a  love  affair  made  you  a  General. 
Not  war.  War  doesn't  make  your  kind.  But 
you  long  for  war.  You  would  shriek  your 
country  into  war,  any  day,  sir.  So  that  humble 
brave  men  might  make  pickings  for  you. 
Invitations.  Gold.  What  you  call  love  affairs. 
Fame.  [To  THEOPHANES,  while  METELLUS 
looks  him  up  and  down.]  I  don't  know  you, 
sir. 

THEO.  A  contributor  to  Time's  waste-paper 
basket. 

CATO.  Ah!  [To  POMPEY.]  And  you,  the 
mischief-maker,  the  genius.  Well,  which  of  us 
was  right,  Pompey? 

POMPEY.  You  were  right.  But  I  have  acted 
more  friendly  than  Csesar. 

CATO.  You  have  made  the  mischief.  Can 
you  unmake  it? 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  39 

POMPEY.  Can  you  unmake  it? 

CATO.  I?  I  am  going  into  Sicily.  You 
forget.  I  am  Governor  there. 

CORN.  But  now.  In  this  moment  of  truce. 
Surely  it  can  be  remedied? 

CATO.  Yes.   At  a  price. 

POMPEY.  How? 

CATO.  You  must  go  alone,  on  foot,  to  Csesar. 

POMPEY.  Never. 

CATO.  And  tell  him  that  you  come  to  save 
Rome  from  civil  war.  That  a  man's  pride  is  a 
little  thing  to  that.  And  that  so  you  have  put 
by  your  greatness. 

CORN.  Ah!  Ah!  [She  watches  POMPEY'S  face. 
All  turn  to  POMPEY.] 

POMPEY.  No.  I  have  been  a  King  here.  I 
have  been  like  God  here.  Kings  have  come  to 
me  on  their  knees.  Caesar.  Caesar's.  I  made 
Csesar  by  a  stroke  of  my  pen.  No.  Ah,  no. 

CATO.  Caesar   would   be   shamed   to   tears, 


40  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

Pompey.    Would  not  that  victory  content  you? 

POMPEY.  I  cannot.    No,  I  cannot. 

CATO.  Not  to  save  Rome,  Pompey? 

POMPEY.  No.    I  should  be  a  mock.    No.  No. 

CORN.  You  would  be  a  fire,  Pompey,  for  all 
time.  All  the  lamps  of  the  world  would  be 
kindled  at  that  nobleness. 

POMPEY.  You  wish  it,  too,  dear  heart? 

CORN,  [softly].    I  wish  it. 

POMPEY  [looking  round].  To  a  young  man. 
Whom  I  have  made.  Oh,  Cato,  Cato!  Is 
kindness  to  a  friend  only  a  bitter  form  of  suicide? 
[He  fumbles  at  the  clasp  of  his  purple.}  Very 
well,  I  will  go,  Marcus.  [He  slings  his  purple 
aside.] 

CATO.  I  thought  you  were  Pompey  the  Little. 
I  wronged  you. 

MET.  [to  THEOPHANES.]  So.  [They  exchange 
glances.] 

POMPEY.  Old  man.    Old  man. 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  41 

[A  noise  without.  Cries.  A  sentry  calls 
'Halt.'  Struggling.  Shouts  of  'Stand 
back.'  'Let  me  in.'  The  spears  rattle. 
The  door  is  shaken. 

THEO.  [opening  door].  What's  this?  [Pause.] 
Let  him  in,  Sentry. 

Enter  filthy  Horseman,  dust  to  the  eyes,  tottering. 
The  door  is  left  open,  showing  Soldiers. 

MET.  One  of  Caesar's  lancers. 

THEO.  A  deserter,  eh? 

THE  MAN  [gasping] .  Which  of  you  is  the 
lord? 

POMPEY  [pouring  wine  for  him].  I  am  he. 
Drink  this.  Take  your  time.  What  is  it? 

THE  MAN  [spilling  his  drink  like  a  man  half 
dead  of  thirst].  Caesar!  Caesar!  I  escaped  last 
night.  Caesar! 

COKN.  What? 

THE  MAN.  He's  crossed  the  Rubicon.    With 


42  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I 

all  his  army.  Marching  on  Rome.  Be  here  in 
two  days.  [A  pause. 

POMPEY  [resuming  his  purple].  That  settles 
it.  There  can  be  no  treaty  now. 

CORN.  So  war  has  begun. 

POMPEY  [sadly].  There  it  is.  Only  it  is  more 
terrible  now.  More  terrible  than  it  was. 
[Turning  to  go.]  It  must  be  war  now  to  the  end. 

MET.  [picking  up  the  orders  from  the  table  and 
slapping  them  to  command  attention].  And  now. 
To  Brindisi.  [He  walks  briskly  towards  the  door, 
but  halts  opposite  CATO,  at  whom  he  glares.  POM- 
PEY and  CORNELIA  halt  to  watch  him.]  Well,  sir. 
My  Conscript  Father.  Will  you  crawl  before 
Caesar  now,  sir?  It  is  long  since  a  Roman  bade 
his  King  to  lick  the  dust  before  a  traitor.  You 
and  your  kind  may  sue  to  such.  Rome  puts 
other  thoughts  into  our  hearts. 

CATO.  There  are  two  Romes,  Metellus.  One 
built  of  brick  by  hodsmen.  But  the  Rome  I 


Act  I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  43 

serve  glimmers  in  the  uplifted  heart.    It  is  a 
court  for  the  calm  gods.    That  Rome.    Let  me 
not  shame  that  city.   Advance  the  eagles. 
A  VOICE  WITHOUT.  Present  arms. 

[A  trumpet  blows  a  blast. 
Curtain. 


44  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 


ACT  II 

SCENE  I 

Staff-officer's  tent  at  Durazzo.  Walls  of  plain  canvas. 
Canvas  door  running  on  rings  at  back  R.  Smaller  can- 
vas door  at  back  L.  Table  and  camp-chairs.  Every- 
thing bare  and  severe.  DOMITIUS,  LENTULUS,  THE- 
OPHANES,  at  the  table. 

DOMITIUS.  So  it  goes  on.  And  Spain  is  lost. 
Look  at  this  position  here.  Caesar  has  shut 
us  hi  here  like  so  many  sheep  hi  a  pen.  Has 
Pompey  no  pride?  Or  has  he  grown  besotted? 

THEOPHANES.  Flaccus  is  raiding  Caesar's  lines 
this  morning.  He  will  attack  them  in  three 
places.  And  break  them. 

DOMI.  {fiercely}.  Flaccus  is  a  boy.  A  whole 
year  wasted,  and  half  the  empire  lost. 

Enter  POMPEY  hurriedly.    They  salute. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  45 

POMPEY.  Good  morning.  I  have  called  you 
all  together  to  tell  you  of  the  loss  of  my  Spanish 
army,  lately  commanded  by  Afranius.  We  had 
expected  victory,  from  Afranius'  letters.  But 
we  are  soldiers.  We  know  what  Fortune  is  hi 
war.  We  are  not  merchants,  to  cast  him  for 
failing. 

DOMI.  We  have  given  up  Italy,  and  thrown 
away  Spam.  Africa  is  invaded  and  Sicily 
taken.  We  have  given  up  and  drawn  back 
everywhere.  And  why?  That  we  might  come 
here  to  be  cooped  up  by  an  army  hah"  our  size. 
I  want  to  know  why?  We  all  want  to  know 
why. 

POMPEY.  I  remember  Sulla  saying  that  he 
could  make  an  army  love  him  by  talking  to  the 
privates  occasionally.  But  that  no  amount  of 
talking  would  make  his  generals  love  his  ideas. 
Be  content.  And  bide  my  tune. 

LENT.  Magnus.    I  am  not  given  to  criticism; 


46  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  11 

but  this  biding  time  is  ruin.  We  are  losing  allies ; 
we  are  losing  Rome.  Rome  looked  to  you  to 
crush  this  upstart.  Instead  of  that  you  have 
let  a  rebellion  grow  into  a  civil  war.  You  have 
watched  your  adherents  stamped  out  piece- 
meal. You  have  done  nothing. 

POMPEY.  Wait. 

DOMI.  We  have  waited  for  a  year. 

POMPEY.  I  ask  you  to  wait  a  little  longer. 

LENT.  Magnus,  while  we  wait,  the  rabble  is 
stamping  out  aristocracy  throughout  the  world. 
[He  rises.] 

POMPEY.  Sit  down,  Lentulus.  I  tell  you  to 
wait.  The  war  is  in  my  hands. 

DOMI.  War  is  in  the  hands  of  the  man  who 
strikes.  [He  thrusts  aside  the  lesser  door.] 
There.  Among  the  crags  there.  By  the  pine- 
clump.  In  that  great  red  heap  like  an  iron  mine. 
That  is  Caesar's  camp.  I've  been  out  there 
night  after  night,  worming  over  rocks  and  down 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  47 

gullies,  keeping  my  course  by  the  stars,  so  that, 
when  a  chance  came,  I  could  take  an  army 
into  that  camp  blindfold.  I've  a  map  here. 
[Throws  down  a  paper.]  Those  red  dots  are  the 
sentries.  Each  dot  was  made  at  the  risk  of  my 
heart's  blood.  I've  grovelled  in  the  earth 
before  all  those  sentries,  praying  for  the  moon 
to  go  in,  while  they  talked  of  their  love-affairs. 
I've  seen  the  sergeant  coming  his  rounds  with 
a  lantern,  and  shut  my  eyes  lest  they  should 
gleam,  and  betray  me.  I  could  take  that  camp 
with  two  legions  in  the  blackest  night  of  the 
year.  This  war  is  breaking  the  world  hi  two. 
And  you  send  Flaccus  with  a  corporal's  guard  to 
pull  down  a  hundred  yards  of  paling.  Justify 
that,  before  you  tell  me  to  wait. 

POMPEY.  Flaccus  is  fighting  the  decisive 
battle  of  the  war. 

LENT.  This  is  trifling.  [He  rises  and  moves 
away.] 


48  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Ad  II 

DOMI.  The  decisive.  I  will  tell  you  what  a 
decisive  battle  is.  I  took  part  in  one  for  you  at 
Massilia  three  months  ago.  At  the  end  of  that 
siege,  there  was  no  city.  There  were  no  people. 
Only  some  deathsheads  dying  of  plague,  and  a 
few  madmen  on  the  walls.  And  outside,  there 
were  towers  flinging  fires  at  us,  and  slings 
flinging  rocks  at  us,  and  miles  of  army  coming 
up  to  the  sack.  That  was  a  decisive  battle. 

POMPEY.  Domitius,  when  a  man  thinks 
fixedly  of  anything,  desiring  it  with  his  whole 
nature,  he  creates  a  strong  pitiless  devil. 

Domitius,  you  are  given  up  to  a  devil.  A 
devil  of  lust  for  battle.  You  are  fiercer  than  a 
devil,  for  when  there  is  no  enemy  you  fight 
your  friends,  and  when  there  are  no  friends  you 
fight  yourself.  And  when  you  have  torn  your- 
self bloody  you  fight  ideas,  not  because  you 
understand  them,  and  hate  them,  but  because 
when  you  are  not  fighting  you  are  nothing. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  49 

I  fear  you,  Domitius.  A  man's  friends  are  those 
who  understand  his  ideas,  and  advance  them. 
You  are  Caesar's  friend,  Domitius. 

DOMI.  [intensely].  You  killed  my  brother, 
when  you  were  a  young  man.  For  that,  I 
swore  to  tear  your  heart  out.  You  dined  with 
me  once,  twenty  years  ago.  You  will  not 
remember.  I  put  my  hand  upon  your  shoulder. 
I  had  a  knife  in  my  other  hand.  I  could  have 
stabbed  you  to  the  heart.  And  there  you  would 
have  died,  Magnus,  before  my  old  Marian 
friends.  But  I  saw  that  you  were  a  better  man 
than  my  brother.  Something  you  said.  I  saw 
that  you  were  what  Rome  wanted.  [Pause. 

[Fiercely.]  You  know  better  than  to  call  me 
Caesar's  friend.  I've  made  Caesar  rock  in  his 
seat. 

POMPEY.  You  are  Caesar's  friend.  Your 
heart  beats  pulse  for  pulse  with  Caesar's  heart. 
You  malign  me  because  my  hands  are  not  red 


50  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

from  butchery  like  his.  And  at  this  moment, 
while  you  malign  me,  Flaccus  is  ending  the  war. 
Take  no  more  thought  of  the  war.  The  war  is 
over. 

[The  Generals  draw  to  one  side  and  talk  apart 
for  a  moment. 

POMPEY.  Rome  is  the  problem  now.  You 
would  do  well  to  think  of  Rome.  This  is  the 
seventh  democratic  rising  since  my  boyhood. 
Seven  desperate  attempts  to  change  in  fifty 
years.  Does  that  teach  you  nothing? 

LENT.  Theophanes. 

DOMI.  Yes. 

THEO.  Magnus. 

POMPET.  I  offered  a  broken  and  distracted 
Italy.  He  took  it.  A  turbulent,  useless  Spain. 
He  took  it.  I  have  flung  down  half  a  useless 
world,  and  he  has  gorged  it  and  come  on  into 
the  trap.  I  am  camped  in  plenty,  with  six 
fleets  ruling  the  seas.  Caesar  is  trenched  in 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  51 

mud,  living  on  roots.  Besieging  me,  you  call  it? 
He  has  dug  thirty  miles  of  works.  He  has  not 
enough  men  to  guard  ten  miles.  His  men  are 
exhausted  and  starving.  He  stays  in  those 
works  during  my  pleasure;  no  longer.  He 
cannot  force  me  to  battle.  He  cannot  raid  my 
lines.  He  cannot  go  back  to  Rome. 

And  I,  with  one  slight  thrust,  am  tumbling 
hun  into  ruin. 

Enter  an  Orderly  with  a  despatch.    He  gives  it 
to  POMPEY. 

LENT.  From  Flaccus? 

DOMI.  You  are  of  the  Fifth? 

ORDERLY.  From  Titus  Pulcio,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Very  well. 

ORDERLY.  Have  you  any  orders,  my  lord? 

POMPEY.  No  orders.    Acknowledge. 

[Exit  Orderly,  saluting. 
THEO.  Is  it  important? 


52  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

POMPEY.  Read  it. 

THEO.  [reading].  From  Titus  Pulcio,  legate, 
fifth  legion,  to  Headquarters:  'The  attack 
under  Valerius  Flaccus  has  been  repulsed  with 
heavy  loss.  The  survivors  have  fallen  back 
upon  the  old  works,  south  of  the  river,  where 
desperate  fighting  is  now  going  on.  I  am 
marching  with  what  I  have.  The  enemy  is 
in  force.  Stragglers  report  position  hope- 
less/ 

DOMI.  These  thrusting  youths  want  a  lesson. 
Now,  Magnus.  Justify  your  plan,  now. 

POMPEY.  Wait. 

LENT.  Wait?  While  our  right  flank  is  being 
rolled  up?  [Coldly. 

POMPEY.  It  would  take  Caesar  two  days  to 
bring  up  enough  troops  to  crush  our  right. 

DOMI.  Surely  you  will  smash  this  attacking 
force. 

POMPEY.  I  am  fighting  with  the  thought  of 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  53 

Rome  before  me.  I  will  not  march  back  to 
Rome  over  corpses,  in  the  Sulla  fashion. 

DOMI.  At  least  you  will  march  back  over 
those  whom  we  took  last  night.  I  killed  those. 

POMPEY.  You  killed  those  men? 

DOMI.  They  were  rebels,  I  tell  you.   Traitors. 

POMPEY.  I  will  judge  traitors. 

DOMI.  They  were  my  own  deserters.  Dogs. 
I  will  serve  all  traitors  so.  And  I  tell  you  this. 

POMPEY.  Not  a  word.  You  disgrace  our 
cause,  Domitius.  [Pause,  and  change  of  voice.] 
I  may  win  this  war.  Or  this  [showing  his  gold 
eagle-clasp]  may  pay  a  camp-trull  yonder.  But 
whether  I  win  or  go  down,  my  men  shall  bear 
themselves  nobly.  Those  on  my  side  must  act 
like  knights  of  the  bodyguard  of  God.  See  to  it. 

Enter  Chief  Centurion  COTTA,  battered. 

COTTA.  I  report  the  death  of  commander 
Flaccus,  my  lord. 


64  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

POMPEY.  Killed? 

GOTTA.  Yes,  my  lord. 

DOMI.  That  is  what  happens  in  skirmishing. 
Nothing  is  done,  and  the  good  man  gets  killed. 

COTTA.  We  were  beaten  back,  my  lord;  the 
surprise  failed. 

POMPEY.  Yes?    Well? 

COTTA.  We  rushed  their  wall,  tore  up  their 
palisades,  and  set  fire  to  two  of  the  turrets. 
Then  they  surrounded  us.  I  should  think  they 
had  two  legions  on  to  us.  We  had  to  cut  our 
way  home. 

POMPEY.  And  your  commander? 

COTTA.  He  was  killed  in  the  thick,  my  lord. 
After  our  storm,  we  were  driven  back  on  to  the 
palisades.  The  pales  were  all  on  fire,  all  along 
the  line,  burning  hard.  I  looked  one  minute, 
and  saw  him  backed  right  up  against  the 
flames,  with  a  dozen  Thracians.  They  had  a 
whole  troop  of  lancers  stabbing  at  them.  I  got 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  65 

within  a  few  paces  of  him,  trying  to  bring  him 
off,  but  the  fire  balls  burst  so  thick  one  couldn't 
see.  My  men  were  being  cut  to  pieces,  the 
cavalry  was  cutting  hi  on  our  rear,  and  there 
came  a  rush  of  spearmen  which  swept  me  off 
the  rampart.  I  saw  his  body  falling  back  into 
the  fire,  all  lit  up.  But  we  could  never  get  near 
the  place  again.  They  cut  us  to  pieces  down 
on  the  flat.  They  killed  eight  hundred  of  us. 

LENT.  A  severe  repulse. 

DOMI.  Wasted.  Wasted  lives.  Utterly  use- 
less, wicked  waste. 

POMPEY.  And  then?    What  happened  then? 

COTTA.  They  drove  us  back  into  the  old 
works  by  the  river.  Over  the  outer  wall  into 
the  ditch.  [Pause.]  We  were  penned  up  hi  the 
ditch  like  beasts  in  a  slaughter-house.  They 
swarmed  up  above  us  on  the  wall,  pelting  us. 
We  were  below  them,  grinding  in  the  mud,  hud- 
dled like  sheep.  Men  will  always  huddle  when 


56  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

they  have  no  room  to  use  their  shields.  It  was 
so  fierce,  that  I  thought  our  men  would  break. 
But  we  could  not  break.  We  were  shut  in. 
We  were  so  pushed  together  that  the  dead  could 
not  fall.  And  being  pressed  man  to  man  gave 
us  a  kind  of  courage.  I  got  up  on  a  heap  where 
the  wall  had  fallen.  I  wanted  to  see.  I  could 
see  all  a  wave  of  red  plumes  where  Csesar's 
Gauls  were  pressing  up,  calling  to  their  horses. 
AIT.  Arr.  There  was  a  roar  everywhere  like 
ice  breaking  up  in  the  spring.  Behind  their 
main  attack  they  were  making  a  way  through 
the  wall  for  their  horse.  Every  now  and  then 
their  picks  flashed  and  the  earth  came  scattering 
down.  It  was  worst  at  the  gate.  The  noise  of 
the  axes  on  the  gate  was  like  a  ship-yard.  They 
brought  up  a  tree  to  batter  it,  and  every  time 
they  ran  at  it,  you  could  see  the  wood  give,  in 
great  splinters.  I  thought  we  were  lost;  but  it 
was  our  fight,  my  lord. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  57 

For  I  heard  fifes,  playing  'The  Day  of  Zama,' 
and  men  singing.  It  was  a  cohort  of  the  fifth, 
marching  to  support  our  left  flank.  They  came 
on  slowly,  in  line,  with  their  heads  up,  and  the 
fifes  playing.  The  centurions  led  them,  singing, 
inarching  well  ahead.  It  was  a  fine  thing  to 
see  those  men  coming  on.  Their  ranks  were  so 
locked  that  the  oak-trees  on  their  shields  made 
a  green  breastwork  across  their  front.  It  was 
our  fight  after  that.  We  caught  them  in  the 
outer  ditch.  The  ditch  is  choked  with  them. 
Caesar  lost  a  full  thousand  there  in  the  ditch. 
They  were  broken.  We  shook  them  to  the 
heart.  They  will  not  face  us  again,  my  lord, 
for  a  long  tune.  Nor  any  enemy.  Caesar  will 
have  trouble  with  them. 

POMPEY.  Very  well,  Cotta. 

COTTA.  They  are  sending  in  the  body  with  a 
trumpet,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Yes!    Send  me  the  returns  of  killed 


58  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

and  wounded  and  the  centurions'  reports.  Your 
legion  will  stand  no  watch  to-night.  See  that 
your  men  rest.  Order  wine  from  the  sutlers 
for  them.  I  will  speak  to  them  to-night. 

COTTA.  Thank  you,  my  lord. 

[He  goes  out,  saluting. 

DOMI.  One  moment,  Cotta. 

[He  goes  out,  after  him. 

THEO.  Caesar  is  sending  a  trumpet.  Can  he 
be  suing  for  peace? 

LENT.  Why  should  he  sue  for  peace  after  a 
skirmish? 

POMPEY.  It  was  the  pricking  of  a  bubble.  He 
is  suing  for  peace.  And  if  I  grant  peace,  I 
shall  have  these  to  fight.  And  if  I  refuse  peace, 
this  rum  will  go  on. 

THEO.  Do  we  receive  this  trumpet? 

Enter  DOMITIUS. 
DOMI.  Magnus.    Caesar  is  in  disorder.    His 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  59 

men  are  leaving  the  trenches.  He  is  withdraw- 
ing. His  south  walls  are  abandoned  already. 

POMPEY.  Yes.     He  has  learned  his  lesson. 

He  must  pay  them  now  for  the  life  they  have 
spent  for  him.  He  cannot  pay  them.  The  most 
that  he  can  do  is  to  save  them  from  the  result  of 
his  insanity. 

THEO.  He  can  retreat. 

POMPEY.  How  can  he  retreat?  He  cannot 
retreat.  Where  can  he  go?  My  navies  hold 
the  sea.  To  the  north  there  are  savage  tribes. 
The  south  is  blocked  by  my  garrisons.  I  am 
here  in  the  west  with  my  army.  And  to  the  east 
lies  Metellus,  with  another  army. 

He  has  one  chance  of  saving  them.  He  can 
sue  for  peace. 

DOMI.  You  are  not  going  to  receive  this 
herald? 

POMPEY.  Yes.    Rome  must  have  peace. 

If  Caesar  will  make  submission 


60  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 


DOMI. 
THEO. 
LENT. 


A  surrender  will  be  useless. 

Caesar  must  be  destroyed. 

How  will  you  settle  Rome,  with 


Caesar  alive? 

POMPEY.  This  war  has  gone  on  all  my  life. 
Sulla's  method  failed.  Catiline's  method  failed. 
They  shall  not  be  tried  again.  Rome  shall  be 
settled  this  tune  finally. 

DOMI.  If  you  hesitate  to  strike  now,  you  are  a 
traitor,  Magnus. 

POMPEY.  I  have  made  my  plan. 

[Sternly.]  I  will  abide  by  it.  To  your  place. 
Murmur  no  more. 

No  little  gust  of  passion  shall  set  me  waver- 
ing. 

[A  Voice  without  and  a  trumpet. 

VOICE.  Present  arms.  Port  arms.  Pass 
friend.  Present  arms. 

POMPEY.  Life  is  nothing.  It  is  the  way  of  lif e 
which  is  so  much.  Enter  there. 


Act  11}  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  61 

COTTA  [entering].  The  body,  my  lord.  With 
the  trumpet. 

Enter  Bearers  with  the  body  of  VALERIUS  FLAC- 
cus.  COTTA,  and  the  others  salute  the  corpse. 
Then,  with  a  solemnity  of  trumpets  blowing 
points  of  ceremony,  MARCUS  ACILIUS  enters, 
led  by  two  Centurions.  He  is  blindfolded. 
COTTA,  the  Bearers  and  the  Centurions  go 
out,  when  the  handkerchief  is  removed. 

ACILIUS.  I  bring  back  your  soldier,  Cneius 
Pompey. 

POMPEY.  You  bring  a  message? 

ACIL.  I  come  from  Csesar. 

POMPEY.  Well? 

ACIL.  He  asks  you  to  end  this  war.  The  gods 
have  given  you  an  equal  measure  of  victory. 
You  have  both  lost  and  won  half  the  Roman 
world.  Now  that  the  world  is  shared  between 
you,  you  can  consent  to  a  peace.  To-morrow,  if 


62  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

fortune  favour  one  of  you,  the  fortunate  one  will 
think  himself  too  great  to  parley.  [Pause.] 
Caesar  asks  that  a  peace  may  be  concluded.  If 
you  will  undertake  to  do  the  same,  he  will  make 
public  oath  to  disband  his  army  within  three 
days.  That  is  his  proposal. 

POMPEY.  More  than  a  year  ago,  the  Senate 
ordered  Caesar  to  disband  his  troops.  That 
decree  still  stands  disregarded.  I  cannot  treat 
with  a  rebel.  Caesar  must  obey  that  decree  and 
submit  to  the  Senate's  mercy. 

ACIL.  The  quarrel  is  between  you  and  Caesar, 
Magnus. 

POMPEY.  Not  at  all.    I  represent  the  Senate. 

ACIL.  Your  party  of  the  Senate,  which  my 
party  does  not  recognise. 

POMPEY.  These  are  the  facts,  Acilius.  Caesar 
has  attacked  Republican  rule.  He  has  failed. 
I  make  it  a  condition  of  treaty  that  he  ac- 
knowledge Republican  authority. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  63 

ACIL.  Csesar  has  never  denied  that  authority. 
He  is  in  arms  against  a  perversion  of  that  au- 
thority by  unscrupulous  men.  That  he  seeks 
to  end  the  Republic  is  denied  by  my  presence 
here,  asking  for  peace.  Caesar  is  no  suitor  to 
you.  That  great  mind  is  its  own  sufficient 
authority.  Farewell,  Magnus.  [Going. 

[At  door.]  You  will  grant  peace  if  Caesar 
kneels  in  the  dust.  Very  well.  Rome  is  more 
to  him  than  honour.  He  will  kneel  in  the  dust. 
In  the  most  public  place  hi  Rome.  He  will 
submit  himself,  body  and  cause,  to  the  judgment 
of  the  Roman  people  there  assembled. 

Will  that  suffice? 

POMPET.   No. 

The  mob  has  no  voice  in  this  matter.  The 
mob  must  be  taught  to  obey  its  rulers.  Caesar 
must  submit  to  the  Senate. 

ACIL.  Then  the  blood  will  be  on  your  hands, 
Magnus.  [Going. 


64  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

POMPEY.  It  will  suffice  if  Caesar  surrender  to 
myself  in  the  presence  of  both  armies.  But  a 
public  act  of  submission  must  be  made.  Other- 
wise it  will  be  thought  that  Caesar  drove  us  from 
Italy,  and  forced  us  to  accept  his  terms.  That 
I  cannot  allow. 

ACIL.  I  am  to  tell  Caesar  that  you  refuse. 
[Quietly.]  From  fear  of  what  the  world  may 
think? 

POMPEY.  You  count  that  a  little  thing,  the 
thought  of  the  world?  For  what  else  are  we 
fighting;  but  to  control  the  thought  of  the 
world?  What  else  matters,  Acilius? 

You  think  that  I  am  fighting  to  be  a  master? 
Not  so.  I  am  fighting  because  I  know  what 
Caesar  wants.  I  have  watched  his  career  step 
by  step.  Caesar  means  to  be  king.  He  has 
bribed  the  rabble  to  crown  him. 

You  see  only  the  brilliant  man,  winning — 
what  he  has  the  power  to  win.  I  look  beyond 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  65 

that  man.  I  see  Rome  under  a  secret,  bloody 
domination  and  a  prey  to  future  Caesars.  That 
shall  not  be. 

I  am  an  old  man,  now,  Acilius.  I  have  been 
fighting  this  battle  all  my  life.  I  hope  now  to 
end  it.  You  have  heard  my  terms. 

[He  strikes  a  gong. 

A  pause.    Enter  a  Centurion. 

Do  you  accept  them  or  refuse  them?  Take 
your  tune. 

Pause: 

ACIL.  I  refuse  them. 

POMPEY  [to  Centurion],  You  will  take  the 
Gemella  legion,  drive  in  Caesar's  outposts  and 
burn  the  works.  [Exit  Centurion. 

ACIL.  There  is  no  voice  for  peace,  then.  I 
have  failed.  Now  that  my  task  is  done,  may 
I  speak  with  you  privately? 


66  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

POMPEY.  Yes.  On  a  private  matter.  Is  your 
business  private? 

ACIL.  Yes.    It  is  private. 

POMPEY  [to  Generals].    Leave  us. 

[Exit  Generals. 

[To  ACILIUS.]   Be  brief. 

ACIL.  My  mother  married  you.  Years  ago. 
She  was  dragged  by  force  from  my  father  so 
that  you  might  be  propped  by  a  vote  the 
more.  She  died  of  a  broken  heart,  hi  your  bed. 

You  have  taken  worse  props,  now.  These 
nobles.  They  are  using  you  to  stamp  out 
democracy.  So  that  they  may  plunder  in 
peace  for  another  fifty  years. 

And  when  you  have  done  their  task.  When 
the  war  is  over. 

POMPEY  [taking  up  gong].  I  cannot  listen  to 
this. 

ACIL.  You  plan  to  make  just  those  demo- 
cratic reforms  for  which  Csesar  is  fighting.  You 


Ad  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  67 

mean  to  cripple  the  aristocracy.  And  they  will 
stop  you.  Domitius  hates  you.  Metellus  fears 
you.  Lentulus  is  jealous  of  you.  They  are 
planning  to  get  rid  of  you.  Even  now.  [Pause. 

Get  rid  of  them,  Magnus.  Take  Caesar  as 
your  friend.  End  the  war.  Drive  them  out. 

POMPEY.  And  after? 

ACIL.  You  could  make  Rome  what  you 
please. 

[POMPEY  strikes  the  gong. 

Re-enter  Generals. 

POMPEY.  And  after?  [Pause.]  Your  party 
shall  submit  to  mine.  [He  writes  a  few  words.] 
You  may  take  this  to  Caesar.  [Gives  writing.] 

Give  this  man  safe  conduct. 

ACIL.  I  am  going,  Magnus.  I  shall  not  see 
you  again.  [THEOPHANES  goes  out. 

POMPEY  [who  has  turned  away].    Well? 

ACIL.  Pride  is  a  mean  thing  hi  the  presence  of 


68  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

death.  To-day  you  are  great,  and  the  kings 
bring  tribute  to  you.  To-morrow  you  may  be 
this.  Only  this.  Praised  by  the  worm. 

[Showing  corpse. 

POMPEY.  You  talk  of  the  presence  of  death. 
Man,  I  am  in  the  presence  of  life,  and  death's  a 
pleasure  to  it. 

COTTA  and  Centurions  enter  with  THEOPHANES. 
They  salute. 

Who  cares  what  I  may  be?  I  may  be  carrion. 
But  while  I  am  man,  and  carry  a  faith  in  me,  I 
will  guard  that  faith.  See  this  man  through 
the  lines. 

[With  a  solemn  blowing  of  a  point  of  cere- 
mony, COTTA  and  the  Centurions  go  out, 
hading  ACILIUS,  blindfolded.  Murmurs. 
Acclamations. 

The  Generals  eye  POMPEY.    He  walks  to  the 
body  and  looks  at  it. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  69 

POMPEY.  Poor  boy.  You  have  gone  a  long 
way  from  this  inn. 

When  you  were  born,  women  kissed  you,  and 
watched  you  as  you  slept,  and  prayed  for  you, 
as  women  do.  When  you  learned  to  speak,  they 
praised  you;  they  laughed  and  were  so  tender 
with  you,  even  when  they  were  in  pain.  And  to- 
night you  will  wander  alone,  where  no  woman's 
love  can  come  to  you,  and  no  voice  speak  to 
you,  and  no  grief  of  ours  touch  you  to  an 
answer. 

The  dead  must  be  very  lonely. 

DOMI.  [coming  forward  and  looking  at  the 
body].  That?  Why  be  sad  at  that?  He  was 
marked  for  it.  [Quietly.]  Magnus.  I  have 
something  to  say.  I  give  you  full  credit  for 
what  you  have  done.  You  were  right.  But 
not  so  right  as  I  would  have  been.  Destruc- 
tion's what  war's  for.  Still.  It  has  happened. 
Now  there  is  Rome.  How  are  you  going  back 


70  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

to  Rome  without    the    moral  support   of   a 
victory? 

LENT.  In  Rome,  it  is  said  openly  that  you 
have  been  shuffled  about  at  Caesar's  will. 

THEO.  And  that  we  have  been  beaten  in 
every  battle. 
POMPEY.  What  is  that  noise,  there? 

[Cries  of  'Victory.'  Clapping.  Trumpets. 
A  cry  of  'Present  Arms.'  The  spears 
rattle. 

Enter  Lucius  LUCCEIUS,  in  the  civil  dress. 

LENT.  Lucceius. 
THEO.  Lucius  Lucceius. 

[LUCCEIUS  stands  looking  at  them  silently. 
He  salutes  the  body,  and  advances  slowly. 
LUCCEIUS  [slowly].   I  salute  you,  Cneius  Pom- 
pey.    I  come  from  Rome. 

POMPEY.  What   news   do   you   bring   from 
Rome? 


Act  77]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  71 

Luce.  News  of  your  triumph,  Magnus. 

Caesar's  army,  under  Curio,  invaded  Africa. 

Curio  is  killed.  His  army  is  destroyed. 
Africa  is  saved  to  us.  [He  takes  a  laurel 
wreath. 

The  Roman  people  send  me  with  this  wreath, 
Magnus.  [He  offers  it,  with  reverent  dignity. 

POMPEY  [taking  the  wreath  and  laying  it  on 
FLACCTTS'  head].  Once,  long  ago,  I  played  with 
you.  By  the  fish-pools  at  Capua,  watching  the 
gold-fish. 

You  asked  me  for  my  purple,  that  glittering 
day  long  ago.  [He  lays  his  purple  over  FLACCUS.] 
All  things  for  which  men  ask  are  granted.  A 
word  may  be  a  star  or  a  spear  for  all  tune.  This 
is  the  day  of  my  triumph,  it  seems. 

[A  distant  trumpet  winds.    It  winds  again. 

THEO.  There  is  a  horn  blowing. 

POMPEY.  It  is  blowing  like  a  death-horn. 

DOMI.  It  is  a  Roman  call. 


72  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  11 

In  Caesar's  camp. 

[DOMITIUS  flings  aside  the  canvas. 

It  is  the  ' Prepare  to  March.'  He  is  in  retreat. 
His  huts  are  burning.  They  are  winding  out 
upon  the  road  there.  They  are  floundering  up 
the  pass.  Two  thousand  horse  could  ruin  them. 

POMPEY.  Ruin  is  not  my  province.  Let  them 
destroy  themselves.  They  are  wandering  out 
into  the  wilds  without  heart,  without  hope, 
without  plan.  That  is  the  forlornest  march 
ever  called  by  trumpets.  There  is  death  hi 
every  heart  there  already.  Well.  We  shall 
follow. 

Call  the  chief  centurions. 

[THEOPHANES  goes  to  the  door,  to  the 
Sentry  without. 

[Going  to  the  body.]  And  to-night  we  shall  be 
marching  from  this  poor  earth,  pursuing  Caesar, 
marching  to  many  trumpets,  under  the  stars, 
singing  as  we  march.  I  shall  end  Sulla's 


Act  H]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  73 

war,  now.    But  we  will  kill  the  rebellion,  re- 
member, not  those  Romans. 

The  Chief  Centurions  enter. 

A  trumpeter  there.    Strike  camp.    Prepare 
to  march.  [A  Centurion  going  out,  calls. 

Take  up  the  body. 
IST  CENTURION. 

Man  is  a  sacred  city,  built  of  marvellous 
earth. 

2ND  CENTURION. 
Life  was  lived  nobly  here  to  give  this  body 

birth. 

SRD  CENTURION. 
Something  was  in  this  brain  and  hi  this  eager 

hand. 

4TH  CENTURION. 
Death  is  so  dumb  and  blind,  Death  cannot 

understand.  [They  lift  the  bier. 


74  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  11 

Death  drifts  the  brain  with  dust  and  soils  the 

young  limbs'  glory. 
Death  makes  women  a  dream  and  men  a 

traveller's  story, 
Death  drives  the  lovely  soul  to  wander  under 

the  sky, 

Death  opens  unknown  doors.     It  is  most 
grand  to  die. 

[They  go  out,  followed  "by  POMPEY. 
[Now  without  comes  a  shaking  blast  from  a 
trumpet.     It  is  taken  up  and  echoed  by 
many  trumpets,  near  and  far,  blowing  the 
legionary  calls,  till  the  air  rings. 
Curtain. 

SCENE  II 

The  same.     Taper  light.    Dawn  later.    POMPEY  writing. 
Enter  LUCCEIUS. 

Luce.  Not  in  bed,  Magnus? 
POMPEY.  I  have  had  evil  dreams. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  75 

Are  you  from  Rounds? 

Is  all  quiet? 

Luce.  Yes. 

There  is  a  light  near  Caesar's  camp.  They  are 
burning  their  dead. 

Our  scouts  took  two  lancers.  They  say  that 
Caesar's  men  are  dying.  Of  fever  and  hunger. 

POMPEY.  Yes.  He  must  surrender  within  a 
few  days.  And  so  they  are  burning  their  dead? 

Luce.  Yes. 

POMPEY.  Now  we  have  Rome  to  settle. 

[Pause. 

I  lie  awake,  thinking. 

What  are  we,  Lucceius? 

Luce.  Who  knows?  Dust  with  a  tragic 
purpose.  Then  an  end. 

POMPEY.  No.   But  what  moves  us? 

I  saw  a  madman  hi  Egypt.  He  was  eyeless 
with  staring  at  the  sun.  He  said  that  ideas 
come  out  of  the  East,  like  locusts.  They  settle 


76  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  11 

on  the  nations  and  give  them  life;  and  then  pass 
on,  dying,  to  the  wilds,  to  end  in  some  scratch  on 
a  bone,  by  a  cave-man's  fire. 

I  have  been  thinking  that  he  was  wise,  per- 
haps. Some  new  swarm  of  ideas  has  been  set- 
tling on  Rome.  A  new  kind  of  life  is  being  born. 
A  new  spirit.  I  thought  a  year  ago  that  it  was 
crying  out  for  the  return  of  kings,  and  personal 
rule.  I  see  now  that  it  is  only  crying  out  for  a 
tyrant  to  sweep  the  old  life  away. 

Rome  has  changed,  Lucceius.  Outwardly, 
she  is  the  same,  still.  A  city  which  gives  prizes 
to  a  few  great  people.  A  booth  where  the  rabble 
can  sell  their  souls  for  bread,  and  their  bodies  for 
the  chance  of  plunder.  Inwardly,  she  is  a  great 
democratic  power  struggling  with  obsolete  laws. 

Rome  must  be  settled.  The  crowd  must  have 
more  power. 

Luce,  [surprised].  That  would  be  a  denial  of 
your  whole  life,  Magnus. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  77 

You  have  been  crushing  democracy  for  forty 
years. 

POMPET.  I  have  crushed  rebellions.  I  mean 
now  to  crush  their  cause. 

There  must  be  a  change.    A  great  change. 

Enter  METELLUS,  DOMITIUS,  LENTULUS. 

Luce,  [giving  paper].  This  is  my  report. 
[He  salutes  and  goes.  At  the  door  he  pauses,  look- 
ing out.]  The  pyre  is  still  burning.  They  must 
be  dying  like  flies.  [Exit. 

METELLUS  [as  the  Generals  sit  facing  POMPEY]. 
Csesar  has  sent  to  me  privately,  Magnus,  to  beg 
me  to  ask  terms  from  you.  I  sent  back  his 
letter  without  comment. 

The  war  is  over;  but  we  are  not  yet  secure. 
We  shall  have  to  garrison  the  provinces  for  some 
years  with  men  whom  we  can  trust. 

Spain  and  Gaul  are  arranged  for  among 
ourselves.  It  is  the  lesser  appointments.  Mag- 


78  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Ad  II 

mis,  I  want  your  voice,  on  behalf  of  Lucius 
Tuditanus.  I  was  thinking  of  sending  him  as 
my  deputy  into  Asia. 

POMPEY.  Is  that  the  soldier  Tuditanus,  who 
did  so  well  under  you?  [To  DOMITIUS. 

DOMI.  No.    His  nephew. 

MET.  He's  a  young  man  on  my  personal 
staff. 

POMPEY.  Has  he  qualified  for  the  praetor- 
ship? 

MET.  No.  Not  in  the  strict  legal  sense. 
But  he  was  of  the  greatest  use  to  me  hi  Asia. 
He  would  be  competent. 

POMPEY.  In  what  way  was  he  of  use  to  you? 

MET.  In  the  collection  of  tribute,  when  they 
disputed  our  assessments.  They  hoped  to 
wrangle  in  Court,  without  paying,  till  Caesar 
saved  them.  Tuditanus  stopped  that.  He 
judged  the  claims  on  the  spot,  and  the  tax  was 
paid,  or  distrained,  there  and  then.  Often  the 


Act  II\  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  79 

patrols  did  not  have  to  unsaddle.  And  as  we 
needed  the  money  quickly,  the  system  was  of 
great  use  to  me. 

POMPEY.  Yes.  But  the  law  is  plain,  Metellus. 
A  praetor  and  a  prsetor's  deputy  represent  Rome. 
It  is  a  responsible  office.  They  judge  and 
govern  hi  Rome's  name.  Men  must  be  trained 
for  it.  What  has  Tuditanus  done,  besides  this 
tax-collection,  that  the  laws  should  be  broken 
for  him? 

LENT.  His  father  has  made  many  sacrifices 
for  us. 

POMPEY.  There  is  a  growing  belief  hi  Rome 
that  a  sacrifice  should  be  a  good  investment. 
Anything  else? 

MET.  He  is  one  of  those  brilliant  young  men, 
of  proved  loyalty,  for  whom  we  ought  to  pro- 
vide. I  recommend  him  to  you. 

POMPEY.  That  is  much  in  his  favour.  But 
I  want  proof  that  he  can  govern.  Tell  me, 


80  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

Metellus.  Where  has  he  shown  administrative 
talent? 

MET.  He  has  not  shown  it.  He  is  a  man 
whom  we  ought  to  bind  to  us.  He  would  soon 
learn.  We  could  give  him  a  staff  of  old  soldiers, 
to  steady  him,  at  first. 

POMPEY.  Has  he  any  power  of  command? 
Where  has  he  served? 

DOMI.  He  was  hi  the  horse  for  a  time,  hi  Lycia. 

POMPEY  [to  METELLUS].  What  recommended 
him  to  you? 

MET;  Never  mind  the  merit.  I  am  contend- 
ing for  the  principle,  that  our  friends  must  be 
rewarded. 

POMPEY.  Yes.  But  praetorian  power.  No. 
He  must  qualify. 

LENT.  Before  you  reject  him,  will  you  not  see 
him?  Metellus  and  Domitius  would  not  rec- 
ommend him  without  grave  reason.  I  might 
say,  without  urgent  reason. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  81 

POMPEY.  I  want  an  imperative  reason. 
Without  that,  it  would  be  a  gross  act  of  fa- 
vouritism. And  illegal.  As  for  the  results,  we 
have  seen  such  praetors.  We  should  have  a 
rising,  and  possibly  a  frontier  war.  No.  Tudi- 
tanus  cannot  be  praetor. 

MET.  Remember,  Magnus.  Tuditanus  is 
one  of  many.  Others  are  in  the  same  position. 
With  a  right  to  expect  employment. 

POMPEY.  Peace  will  try  their  quality. 

There  are  men  with  Csesar  with  a  right  to 
expect  employment. 

[The  Generals  look  at  each  other  and  sigh. 

DOMI.  There  is  another  point.  We  are  going 
back  to  Rome.  Rome  is  in  a  rebellious,  un- 
settled state.  We  must  secure  ourselves. 

I  ask  that  every  man  of  any  standing  in 
Rome  be  brought  to  trial,  even  if  he  have  re- 
mained neutral.  If  the  rebels  have  attacked 
authority,  the  neutrals  have  ignored  it.  And 


82  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

both  must  suffer.  Rebellion  must  be  stamped 
out.  [Gives  paper. 

The  four  hundred  men  in  this  list  have 
actively  helped  the  rebellion.  There  can  be  no 
question  of  trial  for  them.  I  ask  that  they  be 
put  to  death. 

POMPEY.  That  is  out  of  the  question.  War 
will  end  when  Caesar  surrenders.  I  cannot 
allow  reprisals.  I  want  Rome  settled. 

LENT.  Perhaps  you  will  explain  how  you  plan 
to  administer  Rome.  When  we  return. 

MET.  [so/%].  There  will  be  an  amnesty  for 
offences  committed? 

POMPEY.  Yes. 

DOMI.  You  will  pardon  these  rebels? 

POMPEY.  If  they  submit. 

LENT,  [slowly].  Will  you  allow  them  to  help 
in  the  reconstruction? 

POMPEY  [hotly].  Yes.  Power  is  in  too  few 
hands.  There  must  be  a  change  in  Rome.  I 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  83 

would  have  these  four  hundred  firebrands  made 
Senators,  to  help  us  make  the  change  wisely. 

MET.  So. 

DOMI.  Magnus.  There  is  only  one  way  of 
settling  Rome.  By  showing  her  who  is  master 
in  a  way  which  she'll  remember. 

LENT.  Any  dallying  with  these  rebels  will 
leave  us  where  we  were  before.  Hated,  and 
flouted  by  the  rabble,  and  in  danger  from  it. 
Losing  our  privileges,  one  by  one.  Losing  our 
possessions  and  our  power.  Magnus,  I  would 
ask  you  to  weigh  this  proposal  very  care- 
fully. It  affects  the  future  of  the  patrician 
idea. 

POMPEY.  And  of  Rome.  What  kind  of  future 
do  you  expect  from  a  massacre  like  this?  I 
will  tell  you  what  you  will  get.  You  will  drive 
these  four  hundred  firebrands  into  the  Prov- 
inces, where  it  will  take  five  years  of  war  to 
crush  them. 


84  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Ad  II 

No.  I'll  go  back  with  peace.  Not  a  man 
shall  be  touched. 

LENT.  Before  we  go  back  with  peace,  we 
must  end  the  war.  I  have  had  letters  from 
Rome. 

Popular  voice  in  Rome  says  that  we  have 
feared  to  risk  a  battle.  That  the  war  drags  on, 
when  it  could  be  ended  in  a  day. 

That  we  dare  not  kill  these  representatives  of 
the  people. 

That  is  a  dangerous  spirit  in  a  city  which  we 
are  about  to  rule.  That  spirit  can  only  be 
broken  by  decisive  success.  We  must  go  back 
with  victory.  A  battle  is  certain  victory  to 
ourselves.  We  ask  you  to  give  battle. 

MET.  We  have  asked  this  before,  without 
success.  We  ask  it  now,  feeling  it  to  be  a  grave 
need.  Lentulus  has  mentioned  it  as  a  political 
expedient.  I  add  to  that  this,  that  our  treasury 
is  nearly  empty.  We  have  no  means  of  raising 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  85 

more  money.  We  have  drained  Spain  and 
Asia  for  years  to  come.  And  your  inactive  plan 
of  campaign  has  killed  our  credit.  We  must 
fight.  We  cannot  afford  to  keep  the  field  for 
another  month. 

POMPEY.  Caesar  cannot  keep  the  field  for 
another  week. 

DOMI.  Csesar  will  drag  on,  day  by  day,  till 
the  corn  is  ripe.  It  is  not  many  days  now  to 
harvest.  You  let  his  men  get  a  full  provision 
and  you  will  see  how  long  they  will  keep  the 
field.  I  could  break  that  impostor's  strength 
with  the  horse  alone. 

POMPEY.  I  can  break  his  strength  without 
risking  a  life.  I  will  not  give  battle.  Be 
thankful  that  we  can  end  such  a  war  with  so 
little  bloodshed.  [The  Generals  rise. 

DOMI.  You  are  the  oldest,  Lentulus. 

LENT.  It  may  lose  us  votes,  remember.  You 
are  the  most  popular. 


86  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

MET.  Perhaps  I  should  do  it.    I  am  related. 

POMPEY.  What  do  you  wish  to  say? 

MET.  Magnus.    I  have  to  speak  to  you. 

You  love  power  too  well. 

Your  command  ends  with  the  war. 

You  have  tried  to  prolong  your  command 
by  neglecting  to  end  the  war. 

But  the  war  is  over. 

You  plan  now  to  retain  command  while  you 
impose  your  will  upon  the  State.  That  is  a 
menace  to  the  Republic.  We  have  been  forced 
to  convoke  the  Senate  to  discuss  it. 

The  Senate  has  sanctioned  the  appointment 
of  Tuditanus,  and  the  list  of  the  proscribed. 
It  also  commands  that  you  give  battle  to 
Csesar. 

[He  gives  a  paper. 

[POMPEY  walks  up  stage  slowly,  then  down. 
He  stands  at  table,  fronting  them. 

POMPEY.  What  do  you  expect  me  to  say, 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  87 

Conscript  Fathers?  That  I  refuse  to  obey  this 
order? 

I  could  refuse. 

If  I  were  Caesar,  or  Lentulus.  Or  you, 
Domitius,  or  Metellus.  I  should  refuse. 

And  my  soldiers,  or  Caesar's  there,  would  work 
my  will  on  a  Senate  which  had  so  insulted 
me. 

But  I  am  Pompey  the  Great.  I  am  bound  by 
my  military  oath. 

Do  not  think  to  humble  me.  Death  is  a  little 
thing  to  the  loss  of  conscience. 

Death  is  easier  than  life  to  me. 

But  even  if  I  die,  Rome  will  be  a  prey  to 
unscrupulous  men. 

There  is  no  hope  for  Rome.  She  ends  here. 
Disaster  begins. 

But  for  me,  you  would  now  be  beggars  at 
Caesar's  doors.  I  saved  Rome  from  Caesar. 

And  now  Rome  is  to  beg  her  life  from  you. 


88  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

You  have  used  Pompey  the  Great  to  ruin 
her. 

But  you  have  first  to  fight  for  her. 

You  shall  give  your  sin  a  dignity,  by  risking 
your  lives  for  it.  [He  strikes  the  gong. 

Enter  an  Aide. 

[To  Aide.]    Give  the  signal  for  battle. 

[Exit  Aide. 

You  have  your  will,  now. 

This  is  the  end. 

And  at  the  end,  think  what  it  is  which  you 
destroy. 

Rome  is  nothing  to  you.  Only  the  reward  of 
greed,  and  hate,  and  pride. 

The  city  where  justice  was  born. 

Look  beyond  your  passions,  at  what  Rome  is. 
It  is  the  state  of  Rome,  not  passion,  which  con- 
cerns us  now. 

A  little  while  ago  she  was  a  market-town, 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  89 

governed  by  farmers.    Now  she  rules  Europe. 
And  in  herself  no  change.     Cramped  still. 
Fettered.    The  same  laws.    The  same  rulers. 
Like  iron  on  her  heart. 

And  forty  years  of  civil  war.     All  my  life. 
A  blind  turbulent  heaving  towards  freedom. 
[Without,  a  confused  noise  as  of  many  men 
stirring  from  sleep.     Shouted  orders  are 
dearly  heard  above  the  murmur. 
THE  ORDERS.  Fall  in.    Dress.    Cohort.    By 
the  right.     Cohort,  to  the  left,  wheel.     Eyes 
left.     Cohort.     Fifers,  three  paces  to  the— 
Attention,  etc.,  etc.,    Cohort.    Salute,  etc. 

[In  a  moment's  silence  a  trumpet  blows  out- 
side the  tent.    Cheering. 

POMPEY.  Five  minutes  ago  I  had  Rome's 
future  in  my  hand.  She  was  wax  to  my  seal. 
I  was  going  to  free  her. 

Now  is  the  time  to  free  her.  You  can  tear 
the  scales  and  the  chains  from  her.  You  can 


90  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

make  her  a  State  so  splendid  that  Athens  would 
be  a  dust-heap  to  her. 

You  will  not. 

You  will  drive  her  back  three  centuries,  so 
that  you  may  wreak  your  passions  on  her. 

Go  on,  then.    Destroy  her.    Or  be  destroyed. 

Whether  you  win  or  lose,  Rome  ends. 

[A  pause.    Orders  without. 

ORDERS.  The   cohorts  will  advance   hi 

Cohort,  halt.  Ground  arms.  Attention.  Form 
four  deep.  Attention.  By  the  right.  Quick 
march.  Cohort.  Cohort.  To  the  left.  Turn. 

DOMI.  What  orders  have  you? 

[For  the  next  minute  or  two  a  noise  of  troops 
moving. 

POMPEY.  You  have  fought  this  battle  many 
times  in  your  hearts.  [He  flings  the  doors  wide, 
showing  a  bright  dawn.]  Now  you  will  fight  it 
hi  earnest.  You  will  fight  the  wild  beasts  whom 
I  could  have  starved  like  beasts. 


Act  II]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  91 

Go  to  your  divisions. 

[The  Generals  go  out  sikntly.     POMPEY 

stands  by  the  table. 

ORDERS.  Cohort.  Halt.  Ground  arms.  At- 
tention. Form  four  deep.  Cohort.  Left 
turn. 

Enter  PHILIP.    POMPEY  does  not  look  at  him. 
Fifes  of  a  cohort  pass. 

PHILIP.  Do  you  want  me,  my  lord? 

POMPEY  [turning].    Can  you  sing,  Philip? 

PHILIP.  Sing,  my  lord? 

POMPEY.  Yes. 

PHILIP.  I  don't  know,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  What  was  that  song  we  had?  That 
night.  In  the  Asian  wars.  When  we  broke 
Mithridates? 

PHILIP  [hesitating].  I  don't  know  whether  I 
can,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Sing. 


92  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  II 

PHILIP.  I'll  try,  my  lord.  [He  repeats. 

Though  we  are  ringed  with  spears,  though  the 
last  hope  is  gone, 

Romans  stand  firm,  the  Roman  dead  look 
on. 

Before  our  sparks  of  life  blow  back  to  him  who 
gave, 

Burn  clear,  brave  hearts,  and  light  our  path- 
way to  the  grave. 

POMPEY.  Take  my  purple,  Philip. 

[He  flings  his  purple  aside. 
A  CENTUKION.  Eyes  left.    Salute. 
A  COHORT  PASSING.    Hail!    Pompey.    Im- 
perator.  [Trumpets. 

Curtain. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  93 


ACT  III 

The  Poop  of  a  Lesbian  Merchantman  of  the  First  Century 
B.C. 

On  each  side,  the  bulwark  of  a  ship,  painted  green.  There 
are  gaps,  or  gangways,  in  these  bulwarks,  so  that  people 
may  go  down  the  ship's  side  into  boats. 

At  back  of  stage,  the  poop^rail,  also  painted  green.  A 
wooden  belfry  with  a  bell  stands  upon  the  middle  of  the 
poop-rail. 

On  each  side  of  the  bell  is  a  ladder  leading  down  to  the  main 
deck.  Gaps  in  the  poop-rail  allow  people  to  reach  the 
poop  by  these  ladders. 

Above  the  deck,  sloping  from  amidships  like  a  tent,  is  an 
awning  of  blue  and  white  baftas.  This  awning  has  a  flap, 
which  falls  at  back  of  stage,  hiding  the  poop  from  the 
main  deck.  On  both  sides  of  the  stage  the  awning  is 
secured  by  stops  to  guys  above  the  ship's  bulwarks. 

In  the  centre  of  the  stage  (if  the  theatre  stage  is  so  built)  is 
a  hatchway,  surrounded  by  a  raised  white  rim  or  coam- 
ing. This  leads  down  to  the  cabins. 

Behind  it  is  a  mast  (painted  'mast  colour')  which  rises  up 
through  the  awning. 

Round  the  mast  is  a  square  of  timbers,  like  a  stout  fence. 


94  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

These  are  the  bitts,  to  which  the  running  rigging  is  be- 
layed. 

Stout  ropes  and  blocks  lead  along  the  mast. 

Attendants,  Sailors,  etc.,  etc.,  keep  always  to  the  starboard 
side  out  of  respect  to  POMPEY,  who  uses  the  weather,  or 
honourable  side. 

At  the  rising  of  the  curtain  Captain  is  standing  by  poop- 
rail,  looking  at  the  men  at  work  forward.  The  Boy  holds 
up  the  awning  so  that  he  can  see  under  it.] 


THE  CHANTYMAN  [heard  off,  amid  a  click  of 
pawls].    Old  Pompey  lost  Pharsalia  fight. 

THE  SAILORS.  [Heaving  at  the  forward  cap- 
stan]. 

Mark  well  what  I  do  say. 
THE  CHANTY. 

Old  Pompey  lost  Pharsalia  fight. 
THE  SAILORS. 

And  Csesar  now  is  the  world's  delight. 
And  I'll  go  no  more  a-roving, 
With  Pompey  the  Great. 
A-roving.    A-roving. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  95 

Since  roving's  been  my  ru-i-n, 
I'll  go  no  more  a-roving 
With  Pompey  the  Great. 

THE  MATE  [from  far  forward] .  Avast  heaving. 
Walk  back.  [Pause.]  Unship  your  bars. 

THE  CAPTAIN.  That'll  do,  boy.  [Boy  drops 
awning.]  Now  we're  riding  to  a  single  anchor. 

THE  BOY.   Yes,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  [kindly],  D'  you  know  what  little 
port  that  is  yonder? 

THE  BOY.  No,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  That's  Pelusium,  in  Egypt.  This 
is  the  Nile. 

THE  BOY.  Is  this  where  the  King  of  Egypt 
lives,  sir? 

THE  CAPT.  [pointing].  Over  yonder.  Where 
all  those  soldiers  are.  That's  where  the  King 
of  Egypt  is.  Young  King  Ptolemy,  who 
Pompey  sent  the  letter  to,  after  Caesar  beat 
him. 


96  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

THE  BOY.  Why  does  Pompey  come  to  him, 
sir?  He's  only  a  boy. 

THE  CAPT.  It  was  through  Pompey  he  be- 
came king.  And  there  are  lots  of  Pompey's  old 
soldiers  yonder.  An  army  of  them. 

THE  BOY.  What  a  lot  of  ships,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  [anxiously].   Ye-es.   A  lot  of  ships. 

THE  BOY.  They  must  be  men  of  war,  sir. 
There's  a  bugle.  Oh,  look,  sir,  at  those  big 
galleys.  Hark  at  the  bugles.  [Bugle-calls  off.] 
Is  that  to  call  the  slaves,  sir? 

THE  CAPT.  [looking  under  the  sharp  of  his 
hand].  Is  that  a  boat  putting  off  from  the 
flagship?  That  big  galley  nearest  to  us? 

THE  BOY.  Yes,  sir.  Don't  they  pull  well,  sir? 
They're  coming  to  us. 

THE  CAPT.  Quick.  Get  the  red  side-ropes 
rove. 

[The  Boy  reeves  side-ropes,  which  he  takes 
from  locker  by  the  gangway. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  97 

THE  BOY  [at  his  work].   They're  hailing  us,  sir. 

A  CRY.  Ship  ahoy!   Ahoy,  you! 

THECAPT.  Hulloh! 

A  CRY.  What  Ship  is  that? 

THE  CAPT.  The  Fortune.    From  Cyprus. 

A  CRY.  Have  you  Lord  Pompey  aboard  you? 

THE  CAPT.  Yes.  Lord  Pompey's  aboard  us. 
Down  below.  [Pause. 

THE  BOY.  They  seem  to  be  talking  together, 
sir. 

A  CRY.  When  did  you  leave  Cyprus? 

THE  CAPT.  [humbly].  At  noon,  sir,  yesterday. 

[A  pause. 

A  CRY.  D'ye  hear  there?  You're  not  to 
send  any  boat  ashore. 

THE  CAPT.  Ay,  ay,  my  lord. 

THE  BOY.  They're  pulling  back  to  the  ship, 
sir. 

THE  CAPT.  [testily].  Quick.  Dip  our 
streamer.  Dip  our  streamer,  boy.  Don't  you 


98  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

know  enough  for  that?  [The  Boy  runs  aft  and 
dips  the  streamer.]  Again.  Now.  Once  more. 
Here.  [He  beckons.]  Go  below  quietly,  and  see 
if  Lord  Pompey's  stirring.  [The  Boy  goes  down 
the  hatch.  The  Captain  walks  up  and  down,  un- 
easily looking  at  the  distant  ships.]  No.  No. 
I  don't  like  it.  [He  shakes  his  head.]  I  wish  we 
were  out  of  it.  [Re-enter  Boy.]  Well,  lad? 

THE  BOY.  Yes,  sir.    Lord  Pompey's  up,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  Ah.  [Kindly.]  You'll  be  able 
to  tell  them,  when  you  get  home,  that  you  were 
shipmates  with  Pompey  the  Great. 

THE  BOY.  Yes,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  That's  what  comes  of  being  a 
sailor. 

THE  BOY.  Please,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  Yes,  boy. 

THE  BOY.  What  is  the  name  of  that  moun- 
tain, sir? 

THE  CAPT.     That?     That's  Mount  Cassius. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  99 

There's  a  tale  about  that  mountain.  Some- 
thing about  a  king.  Or  some  one  to  die  there. 
I  forget.  Here.  What  are  they  doing  aboard 
those  galleys? 

THE  BOY.  They  are  filling  full  of  soldiers. 
Soldiers  are  putting  off  to  them  in  boats. 

THE  CAPT.  [striking  the  bell  once].  Mr.  Mate, 
there! 

THE  MATE  [below,  out  of  sight].    Sir. 

Enter  Mate. 

THE  CAPT.  Oh,  Mr.  Mate.  Here,  boy. 
What  are  you  listening  at?  Go  forward.  And 
if  you  want  to  see  your  mother  again,  you  pray. 
Pray  that  King  Ptolemy  '11  let  you.  [Exit  Boy. 

[The  Captain  speaks  intently  to  the  Mate.] 
Look  here.  We're  done.  Pompey  isn't  wanted 
here.  Those  eunuchs  have  put  the  King  against 
him.  See  those  galleys?  They're  getting  ready 
to  sink  us.  If  you  see  one  of  them  getting  under 


100  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

way,  cut  the  cable.  Don't  wait  for  orders.  Cut 
the  cable,  and  hoist  sail. 

THE  MATE.  I'll  make  all  ready,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  It  makes  your  blood  boil,  though. 
A  week  back  they'd  have  crawled  all  round 
Pompey  for  a  chance  to  kiss  his  footman's 
boots.  Now  they're  going  to  drive  him  out. 

THE  MATE.  Well,  sir.  You  can't  expect 
gratitude  from  a  king,  they  say.  The  world's 
wide.  There's  other  lands  besides  Egypt. 
Egypt's  got  trouble  enough,  without  Pompey. 
What  did  he  come  here  for?  That's  what  I 
don't  see. 

THE  CAPT.  He's  had  a  misfortune.  One 
doesn't  know  where  to  turn  when  one's  had  a 
misfortune.  And  having  a  wife  and  that. 
Very  likely  he's  beside  himself,  for  all  he  doesn't 
take  on. 

THE  MATE.  He'd  ought  to  have  come  with  his 
fleet.  That  would  have  frightened  them.  Com- 


Act  III\  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  101 

ing  alone  like  this  makes  people  think  he's  a 
beggar.  D'  you  think  they'll  ram  us? 

THE  CAPT.  I  don't  trust  them. 

THE  MATE.  The  hands  don't  trust  them, 
neither. 

THE  CAPT.  Ah!  the  growlers.  What  do  they 
say? 

THE  MATE.  They're  saying  they  didn't  sign 
on  to  be  rammed. 

THE  CAPT.  They  signed  for  what  I  choose. 

THE  MATE.  Yes,  sir.  They're  afraid  of  the 
soldiers  and  that. 

THE  CAPT.  They  got  sense.  If  I  were  Pom- 
pey,  I'd  run  for  it.  A  man  with  a  wife  like  that 
didn't  ought  to  seek  trouble.  Well.  God  send 
pay-day!  Watch  the  hands  and  stand  by. 
That's  your  job. 

THE  MATE.  I'll  make  all  clear,  sir.  Bosun, 
there! 

BOSUN  [off].    Sir? 


102  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

THE  MATE.  Overhaul  your  gear.  Have  all 
ready  for  getting  under  way. 

BOSUN.  Have  all  ready,  sir.    I  will,  sir. 

[Whistle. 

THE  MATE  [going].    There's  his  steward,  sir. 

[Exit. 

THE  CAPT.  Steward. 

PHILIP  [entering].    Sir. 

THE  CAPT.  Oh!  steward.  [PHILIP  ap- 
proaches] Look  here,  steward.  What's  Pom- 
pey's  object  in  coming  here? 

PHILIP.  He's  come  to  see  the  King. 

THE  CAPT.  Is  he  come  to  ask  for  shel- 
ter? 

PHILIP.  He's  come  to  raise  another  army  out 
of  all  his  old  soldiers  here. 

THE  CAPT.  He  won't  get  any  soldiers  here. 
They're  all  at  .-the  wars.  The  young  King's 
fighting  his  sister. 

PHILIP.  That  will  be  patched  up.    The  young 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  103 

King  thinks  the  world  of  my  master.  He'll  do 
what  Pompey  wants. 

THE  CAPT.  He  hasn't  answered  Pompey's 
letter  yet. 

PHILIP.  No? 

THE  CAPT.  We've  been  told  not  to  send  a 
boat  ashore. 

PHILIP.  Well,  all  I  know  is,  the  young 
King  longs  to  honour  Pompey.  But  for  Pom- 
pey the  old  King  would  have  died  a  poor  flute- 
player  in  Ephesus.  You  can  see  for  yourself 
he's  coming.  There's  his  state  barge  at  the 
jetty.  Look.  They're  out  on  the  roofs. 
There's  music. 

Enter  POMPEY. 

THE  CAPT.  [unconvinced\.  It  may  be  as  you 
say,  steward.  Ah. 

[He  starts,  salutes,  and  hastily  crosses  to  the 
starboard,  or  lee  side. 


104  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

PHILIP.  My  lord.  Do  you  know  what  day  it 
is,  my  lord? 

POMPEY.  What  day  is  it? 

PHILIP.  The  day  of  your  triumph,  my  lord. 
Your  Asian  triumph.  Thirteen  years  ago. 

POMPEY.  Is  it  so  long  ago?  That  was  a  great 
day. 

PHILIP.  Yes,  indeed,  my  lord,  I'll  never 
forget  that  day.  We  always  like  to  keep  it  up 
with  a  little  something  among  ourselves. 

We  brought  you  a  few  figs,  my  lord.  They're 
only  Cretans.  [He  offers  Jigs.]  Just  in  honour 
of  the  day,  my  lord.  If  you  would  accept  of 
them. 

POMPEY  [taking  and  tasting].  Thank  you, 
Philip.  [To  the  Captain.]  This  old  servant  of 
mine  is  always  bent  on  spoiling  me. 

THE  CAPT.  Yes,  my  lord.    So  I  see. 

PHILIP  [going].  I'm  sure  I  hope  to-day  will 
be  a  great  day  too,  my  lord.  [Exit  PHILIP. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  105 

POMPEY.  It  should  be,  Philip.  [He  lays  figs 
on  weather  fife-rail.]  Captain! 

THE  CAPT.  Yes,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Has  any  one  come  aboard  for  me? 

THE  CAPT.  No,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Thank  you. 

THE  CAPT.  Beg  pardon,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Well? 

THE  CAPT.  The  flagship  has  ordered  us  not  to 
send  a  boat  ashore.  I  thought  I  ought  to  report 
it,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  Thank  you,  Captain.  A  fine  fleet 
here. 

THE  CAPT.  [meaningly].  They  seem  to  be 
getting  their  crews  aboard. 

POMPEY.  What  speed  have  those  galleys? 

THE  CAPT.  Those  there,  my  lord?  They 
might  make  seventeen.  That's  with  good 
rowers.  And  dead  calm.  And  the  ships  new 
out  of  dock.  In  a  wind  like  this,  they  wouldn't 


106  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

make  more'n  about  eight.  They  can't  work 
their  oars  in  a  sea-way.  [Pause.]  Now's  the 
time,  my  lord,  if  you  think  of  putting  to  sea. 
By  and  by,  may  be,  they'll  be  able  to  stop 
us. 

POMPEY.  Thank  you,  Captain. 

THE  CAPT.  I'll  report  any  boat,  my  lord. 

[Exit. 

Enter  CORNELIA. 

CORN.  Has  the  King  sent? 
POMPEY.  No. 
CORN.  No  answer? 
POMPEY.  Not  yet. 
CORN.  Can  he  know  we  are  here? 
POMPEY.  Yes.    He  will  come.    He  will  come 
hi  person. 

CORN.  Why  has  he  not  come  already? 
POMPEY.  It  is  early. 
CORN.  Do  you  think  it  is  safe  to  wait?    It  is 


Act  HI]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  107 

ominous.     This  silence.     And  all  those  ships. 
And  the  people  crowding  on  the  roofs.    What 
if  the  King  be  against  us? 
POMPEY.  He  cannot  be.    Do  not  be  afraid. 

Enter  THEOPHANES. 

THEOPHANES.  Magnus.  They  have  sent  an 
order.  We  are  not  to  send  a  boat  ashore.  They 
are  plotting  something. 

POMPEY.  If  they  were  plotting,  they  would 
ask  us  to  come  ashore. 

CORN.  But  why  should  we  not  send  a  boat,  if 
they  are  friendly? 

POMPEY.  The  King  will  be  coming  hi  person. 
Then  there  was  plague  in  Cyprus.  We  have  not 
got  a  clean  bill. 

CORN.  But  to  be  ordered. 

THEO.  The  Admiral  should  have  come. 

POMPEY.  This  is  a  merchantman.  We  are 
not  under  Roman  colours. 


108  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  (Act  III 

CORN.  The  Captain  there  is  anxious.    Look 
at  him, 

THEO.  Ask  him. 

POMPEY.  It  is  necessary  for  the  world  that  I 
see  King  Ptolemy. 

[The  Captain  flings  down  the  halliard  coil 
and  goes  below. 

Strange.    Is  there  any  Cassius  with  Ptolemy? 

CORN.  Lucius  Cassius  is  dead,  surely. 

THEO.  There's  Quintus  Cassius.    But  he  is 
in  Spain. 

CORN.  Is  there  not  Cneius  Cassius?    He  was 
legate  hi  one  of  Caesar's  legions? 

POMPEY.  Cneius?    I  thought  he  was  killed? 

THEO.  I  could  find  out.    Sextus  would  know. 

POMPEY.  No.     Do   not  wake  him.     It   is 
absurd. 

CORN.  Why  do  you  ask? 

POMPEY.  When  I  was  in  Africa,  at  that  tune, 
an  old  woman  bade  me  beware  of  Cassius.    I 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  109 

have  not  thought  of  it  for  thirty-four  years.  An 
old  black  hag.  Sitting  in  the  sun,  there.  By 
the  ruins  of  Carthage.  Geminius  was  riding 
with  me.  She  hobbled  up  on  a  crutch  and 
plucked  at  my  rein.  'Young  captain.  You 
beware  of  Cassius.  You  that  ride  so  proud, 
beware  of  Cassius.  The  sand  is  falling.' 

CORN.  Why  should  you  think  of  that  now? 

POMPEY.  Because  I  am  going  to  victory,  as  I 
was  then.  [The  Hands  come  aft. 

THE  MATE  [following].  Get  down  off  the 
poop.  If  you  want  anything,  send  a  man 
aft. 

IST  HAND.  Begging  your  pardon,  your  hon- 
our. We  want  to  speak. 

2ND  HAND.  We  mean  to  speak. 

SRD  HAND.  We  want  to  know  why  we're 
brought  here. 

4TH  HAND.  And  how  long  we're  to  stay  here. 

2ND  HAND.  He's  been  beaten. 


110  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

4TH  HAND.  He's  got  no  friends.     Our  lives 
are  as  good  to  us  as  his  is. 

THE  MATE.  Down  off  the  poop!    Down  with 
you!    Bosun,  there!  [Struggling. 

POMPEY.  What  is  the  matter? 

[Struggling  ends.   Pause. 

IST  HAND.  Begging  your  pardon,  your  hon- 
our.   We  wanted  to  see  the  Captain. 

POMPEY  [to  the  Mate].    What  is  their  griev- 
ance? 

THE  MATE.  Some  more  of  their  fancies,  my 
lord.     [To  the  Hands.]     Get  over  to  leeward. 

POMPEY.  They  seem  a  good  lot.    What  is 
it? 

THE  MATE.  Oh,  the  Captain'll  soon  settle  it, 
my  lord.    [To  the  Hands.]    You  wait. 

[Exit  by  hatch  to  find  Captain.     Pause. 
POMPEY  takes  a  half  turn,  and  then  speaks. 

POMPEY  [to  Hands].     Of  what  do  you  com- 
plain? 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  111 

IST  HAND.  Begging  your  pardon,  your  hon- 
our. We'd  rather  wait  for  the  Captain. 

POMPEY.  What  is  wrong,  though?  Tell 
me. 

IST  HAND.  I'd  rather  not  say,  my  lord. 

POMPEY  [takes  a  half  turn,  and  speaks  again]. 
Come.  What  is  the  trouble?  Is  it  the  food? 
Or  the  drink? 

IST  HAND.  Begging  your  pardon,  your  hon- 
our. We  don't  like  the  look  of  things. 

POMPEY.  What  things? 

IST  HAND.  Begging  your  honour's  pardon, 
the  ships  there. 

2ND  HAND.  They're  getting  ready  to  sink  us. 

POMPEY.  Why  do  you  think  that? 

SRD  HAND.  You  can  see  the  soldiers  going 
aboard  them,  can't  you? 

IST  HAND  [to  SRD].    Here  now.    Here. 

SRD  HAND  [to  IST].  What's  wrong?  It's 
the  truth.  Isn't  it? 


112  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

POMPEY.  So  they  are  going  aboard  to  sink  us? 
Why  should  they  sink  us? 

SRD  HAND.  Because  you're  aboard  us.  [He 
stands  out.]  You're  not  wanted  here.  You're 
no  good  to  Ptolemy.  Caesar's  the  man,  now, 
not  you.  You're  no  more  than  what  we  are. 

[To  the  Hands.]  And  we're  to  be  drowned, 
are  we,  because  his  mightiness  that  was  is  worth 
more  dead  than  alive?  He's  down.  He's  no 
one.  He's  had  fellows  die  for  him  for  forty 
years.  It's  time  he  learned  what  it  feels  like 
himself- 

4TH  HAND.  That's  what  I  say. 

SRD  HAND.  Come  on! 

2ND  HAND.  Man  the  halliards. 

SRD  HAND.  We'll  carry  you  to  Caesar.  And 
sell  you. 

POMPEY.  Stand  back! 

You  say  that  the  soldiers  are  coming  to  sink 
us? 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  113 

There  are  five  thousand  troops  there,  and 
fifty  ships. 

Are  they  all  coming  to  sink  us? 

It  seems  a  large  force  to  sink  one  ship, 
manned  by  such  a  company. 

SRD  HAND.  Here.    Look  here! 


IST  HAND 
2ND  HAND. 
4TH  HAND. 


[to  SRD].    You'll  get  us  hanged. 

Give  him  sheet. 

How  about  us?    That's  what 


I  say. 

POMPEY.  If  I  am  still  so  terrible,  I  must  save 
you.  I  will  go  to  the  flagship  yonder.  Man 
your  boat. 

SRD  HAND.  You  will  go  to  the  flagship? 

IST  HAND  [alarmed].    Look  at  her.    There. 

4TH  HAND.    Look. 

2ND  HAND.  Look  at  her.  She's  got  her  oars 
out. 

IST  HAND.  She's  coming.     We're  gone  up. 

SRD  HAND.  Then  he'll  go  first. 


114  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I II 

IST  HAND  [holding  him].     No,  you  don't. 

Enter  Captain. 

THE  CAPT.  She's  coming,  my  lord.  Shall  I 
cut?  We  might  do  it,  even  now. 

POMPEY.  She  is  not  coming.  And  if  she  were, 
what  is  death? 

THE  CAPT.  Hard  tunes  for  the  widow,  my 
lord. 

POMPEY  [to  the  men].   Leave  the  ropes. 

Do  you  think  the  soul  can  be  quenched  with 
water?  Or  cut  with  swords?  Or  burned? 

SRD  HAND.  I  know  my  body  can,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  You  do  well  to  fear  death.  Go  to 
your  place. 

[Musingly.]  If  death  can  crush  what  com- 
prehends heaven?  Why!  We  are  in  a  bad 
way,  Captain. 

[The  Hands  file  off,  quietly.    POMPEY  looks 
down  on  the  main  deck.     The  Captain 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  115 

stands  apart  anxiously  watching  the  flag' 
ship.  CORNELIA  and  THEOPHANES  eye 
each  other. 

CORN.  Is  the  flagship  coming? 

THEO.  She  is  ready  to  come. 

CORN.  To  sink  us? 

THEO.  She  could  sink  us. 

CORN.  I  cannot  bear  this. 

[POMPEY  turning,  walks  towards  them. 

THEO.  We  ought  to  have  gone  to  our  fleet. 
We're  helpless  like  this. 

CORN.  Magnus.    This  isn't  what  we  planned. 

POMPEY.  Let  me  reassure  you.  Egypt  is 
friendly  to  me. 

I  saved  her  independence.  I  made  the  elder 
Ptolemy  King.  The  young  King  is  my  ward, 
bound  to  me  by  intimate  ties.  Those  troops 
are  veterans  of  my  Asian  Army. 

THEO.  The  young  King's  at  his  wits'  end  with 
civil  war.  How  can  he  begin  a  war  with  Csesar? 


116  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

POMPEY.  Caesar  will  begin  a  war  with  him 
whether  he  takes  me  or  rejects  me.  Caesar 
wants  Egypt,  as  Ptolemy  very  well  knows. 

CORN,  [bitterly].  And  we  are  suppliants  to 
him.  We  Romans.  To  whom  they  should 
strike  their  flags.  [After  a  pause,  quickly.]  See 
if  they  refuse  to  salute  us. 

THEO.  We  should  know  what  to  expect  then. 

CORN.  Oh,  let  us  be  certain.  Hoist  your 
colours. 

POMPEY.  It  is  not  time  yet.  I  will  hoist 
them  when  the  watch  ends. 

[The  Captain  strikes  the  bell  once. 

THE  CAPT.  One  bell,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  The  watch  is  nearly  out? 

THE  CAPT.  Nearly,  my  lord.  Will  you  hoist 
any  colours,  my  lord? 

POMPEY.  My  consular  colours. 

THE  CAPT.  I'm  only  a  merchantman,  my 
lord.  If  they  should  refuse  to  salute,  my  lord? 


Act  II I]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  117 

POMPEY.  You  will  go  alongside  the  flagship 
there,  and  order  her  to  salute. 

THE  CAPT.  [going].  I  am  all  ready  to  get 
under  way,  my  lord.  Bosun,  there!  Stand  by. 
Mr.  Mate.  Boy,  there! 

[He  goes  to  the  break  of  the  poop  and  looks 
down  on  main  deck. 

Are  your  colours  bent  on,  Centurion? 

CENTUKION  [off].   Tell  him,  yes. 

BOY  [off].   All  ready  to  hoist,  sir. 

THE  CAPT.  [coming  to  POMPEY].  All  ready, 
my  lord.  Will  you  make  eight  bells,  my  lord? 

POMPEY.  When  it  is  time. 

[He  paces  leisurely. 

Theophanes.    Have  you  your  tables? 

THEO.  Yes. 

POMPEY.  I  shall  want  you  to  take  notes. 

[To  CORNELIA.]  What  was  that  passage 
about  the  soul?  We  were  reading  it  that  day 
at  Alba,  when  the  women  brought  you  their 


118  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  I II 

first-fruits?    Our  first  year.     We  were  in  the 
garden.    You  were  reading  to  me.    There  was 
a  verse  about  the  soul. 
CORN.  The  upright  soul  is  safe? 
POMPEY.  Yes.    That  was  the  verse.    I  have 
always  loved  Alba.    I  was  there  as  a  child.    We 
were  happy  there,  that  year. 

CORN.  Very  happy.  And  that  day.  The 
doves  came,  picking  the  spilled  grain.  And  at 
night  there  was  a  moon. 

POMPEY.  All  the  quiet  valley.  And  the  owls 
were  calling.  Those  little  grey  owls.  Make 
eight  bells,  Captain. 

[The  Captain  makes  it.     The  Bosun  pipes 

the  colours  up. 
THE  CAPT.  Not  so  fast  there,  boy. 

[Eight  bells  is  echoed  over  the  harbour  from 
ship  to  ship.  POMPEY  and  THEOPHANES 
raise  their  right  hands.  Perhaps  COR- 
NELIA ought  to  veil. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  119 

THEO.  The  flagship  is  hoisting  her  ensign. 

[Bugles  off. 

CORN.  Will  she  salute?  Will  she  salute? 
There. 

THEO.  There.   She  dips  it. 

CORN.  They  all  salute. 

THEO.  Then  we  are  safe. 

POMPEY.  That  is  settled,  then.  I  am  to  be 
received.  The  King  expects  me. 

THECAPT.  I  beg  pardon,  my  lord.  I  think  his 
Maj  esty  the  King  is  coming  off  to  fetch  you.  The 
barge  is  putting  off,  my  lord.  [Approaching.]  No, 
my  lord;  it  is  not  the  King,  it  is  one  of  the  pearl- 
boats,  my  lord,  which  work  the  pearl-beds  here. 

POMPEY.  Something  of  the  kind.  What  do 
you  make  of  her? 

THE  CAPT.  They  pull  very  badly,  my  lord. 
They  pull  like  soldiers. 

POMPEY.  They  are  soldiers.  I  see  the  gleam 
of  armour. 


120  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

THEO.  Seven  soldiers. 

THE  CAPT.  Am  I  to  let  them  alongside,  my 
lord? 

POMPEY.  Wait. 

THEO.  Has  he  sent  a  boat  like  that  for 
you? 

CORN.  You  cannot  go  in  that  old  boat. 

THEO.  Magnus.     There  is  some  treachery. 

CORN.  Cneius.  It  is  a  dreadful  risk.  To 
stay. 

POMPEY.  It  is  necessary.  I  must  carry  this 
thing  through.  You  would  rather  I  ran  the  risk 
than  let  the  world  become — what  it  will  become. 

CORN.  Much  rather. 

POMPEY.  You  will  understand,  then. 

THE  CAPT.  They  are  hailing,  my  lord. 
Would  the  lady  go  below  a  little?  They  might 
fling  a  dart  on  board. 

CORN.  The  air  is  fresher  here. 

SEPTIMIUS  [off].   Hail!   Pompey.    Imperator. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  121 

THE  CAPT.  We  could  still  run  for  it,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  We  must  not  show  that  we  mis- 
trust them. 

SEPT.  [off].    Hail,  Pompey,  Imperator! 

POMPEY.  Have  your  men  ready  to  salute. 

SEPT.  [off].  In  bow. 

CORN.  Cneius.    Cneius. 

POMPEY.  There  is  no  danger.  Have  you  the 
little  book  with  my  speech  to  Ptolemy? 

CORN.  Here  it  is. 

SEPT.  [off\.  Toss  your  starboard  oars.  Way 
enough. 

POMPEY.  Company  there.    Salute. 

THE  CAPT.  The  call,  there. 

Enter  SEPTIMITJS,  a  Roman  military  tribune,  with 
ACHILLAS  EGYPTIAN,  both  in  military  dress. 
The  Bosun  pipes  the  side  for  each  of  them. 

POMPEY  [advancing].  You  come  from  King 
Ptolemy?  [SEPTIMIUS  salutes,  ACHILLAS  bows. 


122  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [  Act  III 

ACHILLAS.  From  King  Ptolemy.  He  send 
you  royal  greeting. 

POMPEY.  He  wishes  to  see  me? 

ACHIL.  He  wish  to  see  you.  To  be  your 
friend. 

POMPEY.  Shall  I  bring  the  ship  alongside  the 
quay  there? 

ACHIL.  There  is  much  mud  and  sandbanks. 
There  would  be  no  water  for  this  galley.  You 
have  to  take  a  boat. 

POMPEY  [glancing  at  ships].  Your  fleet  is 
getting  under  way  here? 

ACHIL.  [shrugging  his  shoulders].  Ah?  Will 
you  come  into  my  boat? 

POMPEY.  She  is  not  a  very  handsome 
boat. 

ACHIL.  No?     It  is  bad  weather  sometimes. 

POMPEY  [to  SEPTIMIUS].  I  think  I  should 
know  you,  my  friend.  You  and  I  have  served 
together?  [SEPTIMIUS  nods,  but  does  not  answer. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  123 

Where  was  it?    I  know  your  face. 

[No  answer. 

A  long  time  ago.  Eighteen  years  ago.  In 
the  war  against  the  pirates?  [Pause.]  Was  it 
not?  [No  answer. 

You  commanded  a  company  in  my  guard. 
[Pause.]  You  did  something?  You  burnt  a 
ship  one  night?  You  paddled  out  alone  and 
set  fire  to  her?  I  remember  you.  I  gave  you 
a  sword.  You  are  wearing  it  now. 

SEPT.  [turning  to  the  boat,  muttering  to  him- 
self]. I'm  as  good  a  man  as  you  are. 

ACHIL.  You  come  in  my  little  boat.  I  take 
you  to  the  King.  The  King  is  your  friend. 
Lovely  lady,  the  King  want  to  see  him. 

CORN.  Yes. 

POMPEY.  I  will  follow  you.  Go  down  into 
the  boat. 

[ACHILLAS,  bowing,  goes  to  gangway,  where 
he  stands,  looking  aft. 


124  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

POMPEY.  Now. 

THEO.  Magnus.    You  mustn't  go. 

CORN.  Cneius.  Cneius.  What  do  they 
mean? 

THEO.  You  mustn't  go,  Magnus. 

POMPEY.  My  beloved!  You  must  stay  here. 
You  must  not  come. 

CORN.  My  darling!  What  are  they  going  to 
do? 

POMPEY.  What  God  wills. 

Theophanes.  If  this  is  the  end,  I  wish  it  to 
be  the  end.  Those  arrangements  of  the  fleet. 
Cancel  them.  You  understand.  Go  to  Cato. 
Tell  Cato  to  submit  to  Csesar.  War  will  only 
mean  more  bloodshed.  He  cannot  stand  against 
Csesar.  I  could  have. 

Scipio's  daughter.  Make  your  father  submit 
to  Caesar.  Keep  my  sons  out  of  it.  Tell  them. 
End  the  war.  Life  is  very  grand,  but  there  is 
something  behind  it.  Something  which  strikes 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  125 

a  mean.    I  had  my  hand  on  it.    Come.    Cour- 
age.    These  are  Egyptians.     [To  CORNELIA.] 

Captain.    You  must  sail.    Stand  by. 

What  else  is  there?  Asia.  Theophanes. 
Asia  must  submit.  Send  to  the  Kings.  The 
world  must  make  what  terms  it  can.  This 
is  all  in  the  event.  If  this  is  the  end. 
You  understand?  If  not,  you  know  my 
orders. 

Philip.  Scythes.  Cotta.  Go  down  into  the 
boat. 

PHILIP.  My  lord.  I've  served  you  a  long 
time,  my  lord. 

POMPEY.  What  is  it,  Philip? 

[COTTA  and  SCYTHES  go. 

PHILIP.  My  lord.     My   old,   beloved   lord. 

POMPEY.  Why,  Philip.  We  are  the  only  ones 
left.  We  are  two  old  Sulla's  men.  Have  you 
my  cloak  in  the  boat? 

PHILIP.  Forty  years,  my  lord. 


126  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

POMPET.  The  broidered  one.    [To  CORNELIA.] 
Your  gift.    Come.    Carry  it  down,  man. 
PHILIP.  I  wish  it  was  to  begin  all  over  again. 

[Exit. 

ACHIL.  Will  you  come  into  the  boat?    The 
King  is  waiting. 

CORN.  Cneius.    My  husband.    My  husband. 
POMPEY.  God  only  lends  us. 
If  the  King  keep  faith.    We  shall  have  time. 
Tune  for  what  we  must  imagine.    If  not.    We 
know  our  love.    The  gods  treasure  you. 

[He  goes  towards  gangway. 
Remember,  Captain. 

Theophanes.     If   I    fail,    you   must    warn 
Lentulus. 

[He  goes  to  gangway.     The  Bosun  starts  to 

pipe  the  side.    POMPEY  turns  to  the  Boy. 

Bosun  stops  his  pipe.    POMPEY  takes  figs 

from  fife-rail  and  gives  them  to  the  Boy. 

Can  you  eat  figs?  [The  Boy  mumbles. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  127 

What  is  your  name? 

[The  Boy  bursts  into  tears. 
ACHIL.  [at  gangway].    Give  me  your  hand.    I 
take  your  hand  down. 

POMPEY  {pausing  in  the  gangway  and  looking 
back.    Sadly.    To  Theophanes.] 

1  Into  a  tyrant's  court  the  truly  brave 
Goes  proudly,  though  he  go  to  die  a  slave.' 

[He  goes  down.    The  Bosun  pipes  the  side. 
SEPT.  [coldly].    Back  your  port  oars.    Shove 
off .    Give  way  together. 

THE  CAPT.  [softly  to  Mate].     Go  on  there. 
Man  your  halliards. 

THE  MATE.  Take  the  turns  off.    Stretch  it 
along.    Softly  now.    Stand  by. 

[The  Seamen  coming  behind  COKNELIA,  man 
the  halliards.    The  Chantyman  stands  on 
the  bitts.    All  look  after  the  boat. 
THE  CHANTY.  There's  a  lot  of  troops  ashore. 
THE  MATE.  S's't. 


128  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

CORN.  They  are  not  talking  to  him. 

THEO.  He  is  reading  his  speech.  [Pause.] 
He  organises  everything.  Csesar  improvises. 

CORN.  There  they  go  out  of  the  sun. 

THEO.  The  hill  casts  a  long  shadow. 

CORN.  What  is  the  name  of  the  hill? 

THE  CAPT.  Mount  Cassius,  lady. 

THEO.  [quickly].  They  are  coming  with  ban- 
ners. Look. 

CORN.  He  is  safe. 

THEO.  There  comes  the  King.  Hark!  Trum- 
pets. They're  saluting.  He  is  standing  up  to 
land. 

CORN.  Ah!   Swords.    He  is  stabbed. 

THEO.  Ah!  you  gods.    You  gods! 

CORN.  Oh!  He  is  killed!  He  is  killed!  He 
is  killed!  [She  collapses. 

THEO.  [covering  his  eyes].  The  devils!  The 
devils! 

THE  MATE.  They  stabbed  him  in  the  back. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  129 

ANTISTIA.  It's    ebb-tide    now,    my    beauty. 

THE  CAPT.  [yelling].    Cut  the  cable. 

[Chopping  forward. 

A  VOICE.  All  gone,  the  cable. 

THE  MATE.  Let  fall. 

A  VOICE.  All  gone. 

THE  MATE.  Sheet  home.    Hoist  away. 

THE  MEN.  Ho.  [They  haul. 

THE  CHANTY.  Away  ho!  [The  Men  haul. 
[He  intones  in  a  clear  loud  voice.  The  Sea- 
men sing  the  chorus,  hauling. 
[This  song  is  sung  like  an  ordinary  halliard 
chanty.  The  chorus  is  to  the  tune  of  the 
old  chanty  of  'Hanging  Johnny.1  The 
solo  will  be  intoned  clearly,  without  tune. 
It  goes  to  fast  time,  the  chorus  starting 
almost  before  the  soloist  ends  his  line.  The 
Men  must  haul  twice,  in  the  proper  man- 
ner, in  each  chorus.  The  hauling  will  have 
for  natural  accompaniments  the  whine  of 


130  THE  TRAGEDY  OF  [Act  III 

the  three-sheaved  block,  the  grunt  of  the 
parrels  and  the  slat  from  the  great  sail. 
THE  CHANTY. 
Kneel  to  the  beautiful  women  who  bear  us 

this  strange  brave  fruit. 
THE  MEN.  Away,  i-oh. 
THE  CHANTY. 
Man  with  his  soul  so  noble:  man  half  god 

and  hah"  brute. 
THE  MEN.  So  away,  i-oh. 
THE  CHANTY. 
Women  bear  him  hi  pain  that  he  may  bring 

them  tears. 
CHORUS. 
THE  CHANTY. 
He  is  a  king  on  earth,  he  rules  for  a  term  of 

years. 
CHORUS. 
THE  CHANTY. 
And  the  conqueror's  prize  is  dust  and  lost 

endeavour. 


Act  III]  POMPEY  THE  GREAT  131 

CHORUS. 

THE  CHANTY. 

And  the  beaten  man  becomes  a  story  for  ever. 

CHORUS. 

THE  CHANTY. 

For  the  gods  employ  strange  means  to  bring 

their  will  to  be. 
CHORUS. 
THE  CHANTY. 
We  are  hi  the  wise  gods'  hands  and  more  we 

cannot  see. 

CHORUS.  So  away,  i-oh. 
A  VOICE.  High  enough. 
THE  MATE.  Lie  to.  [The  Seamen  lay  to  the 

fall.]    Make  fast. 
Coil  up. 

A  VOICE.  All  clear  to  seaward. 
THE  CAPT.  Pipe  down. 

[The  Bosun  pipes  the  belay. 
Curtain. 


132  THE  TRAGEDY  OF 

EPILOGUE  SPOKEN  BY  COTTA. 

Pompey  was  a  great  Captain,  riding  among 
Kings,  a  King, 

Now  he  lies  dead  on  the  sand,  an  old  blind  tum- 
bled thing 

Fate  has  her  secret  way  to  humble  captains 
thus 

Fate  comes  to  every  one  and  takes  the  light 
from  us 

And  the  beginning  and  the  end  are  darkened 
waters  where  no  lights  be 

But  after  many  days  the  brook  finds  ocean 

And  the  ship  puts  to  sea. 


POMPEY  THE  GREAT  133 


NOTES 

ON  THE  APPEARANCE  OF  POMPEY 

PORTRAITS  exist  of  Cneius  Pompeius  Magnus.  The  most 
important  of  these  is  a  marble  bust  at  Copenhagen. 
Several  likenesses  are  to  be  found  on  the  gold  and  silver 
coins  struck  by  his  son,  Sextus,  in  Spain.  Plutarch  says  of 
him  that,  'being  come  to  man's  state,  there  appeared  in  his 
gesture  and  behaviour  a  grave  and  princely  majesty.  His 
hair  also  stood  a  little  upright,  and  the  cast  and  soft  moving 
of  his  eyes  had  a  certain  resemblance  (as  they  said)  of  the 
statues  and  images  of  Alexander  the  Great.'  This  resem- 
blance may  still  be  traced. 

At  the  time  of  his  murder  he  was  fifty-eight  years  old,  a 
powerful,  very  active  man,  in  the  prune  of  life.  His  bust, 
evidently  done  towards  the  end  of  his  life,  shows  that  his 
hair,  which  was  thick,  coarse,  and  worn  rather  long,  still 
tended  to  stand  a  little  upright.  The  head  is  of  great 
breadth  at  the  eyes.  The  brow  is  low  and  lined  with  three 
deep  lines  of  wrinkles  going  right  across  it  in  irregular  M 
shape.  The  eyebrows  are  well  marked:  the  supra-orbital 
ridge  is  heavy.  The  nose  is  full  and  strong,  with  the  broad 
base  which  is  so  good  an  index  of  intellectual  power.  The 


134  THE  TRAGEDY  OF 

septum  is  of  great  breadth.  The  mouth  is  of  that  kindly 
tightness  which  one  sees  in  the  portraits  of  some  of  our 
Admirals.  Below  the  mouth  is  a  deep  horizontal  dent. 
The  chin  is  not  cloven.  The  face  is  lined  a  good  deal.  A 
deep  straight  wrinkle  runs  from  each  side  of  the  nose 
to  the  puckered  angles  of  the  mouth.  The  eyes  are  crows- 
footed.  There  are  no  indications  as  to  the  colour  of  the 
hair  and  eyes.  The  shape  of  the  head  suggests  the  brown 
or  fair  type  of  man.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
perhaps  grizzled. 

No  known  portrait  exists  of  any  of  the  other  characters. 
Metellus  came  of  a  family  once  distinguished  for  pointed 
noses,  Domitius  of  a  family  once  famed  for  red  hair. 
Cornelia  was  famous  for  a  grave  and  gentle  beauty.  She 
was  young,  though  already  a  widow,  when  Pompey  married 
her,  a  few  months  before  the  civil  trouble  began. 

ON  THE  FATE  OF  THE  PERSONS  IN  THIS 
TRAGEDY. 

Philip.  After  religiously  burning  his  master's  body  on 
the  seashore,  disappears  from  history. 

Metellus  Scipio.  Fled  from  Pharsalia  to  Africa,  where  he 
carried  on  the  war  until  46  B.  c.,  when  he  was  defeated  by 
Caesar  at  Thapsus.  Flying  from  Africa  by  sea,  in  bad 
weather,  he  was  forced  to  put  into  the  port  of  Hippo,  where 


POMPEY  THE  GREAT  135 

one  of  Caesar's  fleets  lay  at  anchor.  A  battle  followed.  He 
is  said  to  have  drowned  himself  shortly  before  his  ship  was 
sunk. 

Cn.  Pompeius  Theophanes.  Returned  to  Italy,  and  was 
pardoned  by  Csesar.  He  attained  great  fame  as  a  writer. 
After  his  death  the  Lesbians  paid  him  divine  honours. 
His  son  held  office  under  Augustus. 

Marcus  Cato.  After  Pharsalia,  joined  Scipio  in  Africa, 
and  held  command  under  him.  He  killed  himself  in  Utica, 
shortly  after  the  battle  of  Thapsus,  so  that  he  might  not 
live  to  see  the  final  extinction  of  liberty.  His  son  was 
killed  at  Philippi,  'valiantly  fighting  against  Augustus,' 
four  years  later. 

Lucius  Domitius  Ahenobarbus.  Was  killed  (some  say  by 
Mark  Antony)  either  in  the  battle,  or  in  the  rout,  of 
Pharsalia,  at  which  he  commanded  the  great  brigade  of 
horse,  on  the  left  of  Pompey's  army. 

Marcus  Acilius  Glabrio.  Continued  in  Caesar's  service, 
and  rose  to  be  governor  of  Achaia. 

Lucius  Lucceius.  Returned  to  Rome,  and  received 
Csesar's  pardon.  He  was  praised  by  Cicero  for  the  excel- 
lence of  his  historical  writings. 

Lucius  Afranius.  After  Pharsalia,  joined  Scipio  in 
Africa,  and  held  command  under  him,  till  the  battle  of 
Thapsus.  While  riding  through  Mauretania,  on  his  way 
to  Spain,  after  that  disaster,  he  was  ambushed  and  taken 


136  THE  TRAGEDY  OF 

by  Caesar's  lieutenant,  P.  Sitius.  A  few  days  later,  the 
troops  of  Sitius  killed  him  hi  a  camp  riot. 

Lentulus  Spinther.  After  Pharsalia,  fled  to  Rhodes, 
where  he  was  refused  permission  to  land.  He  set  sail  again 
'much  against  his  will,'  and  either  'perished  ingloriously* 
or  disappeared  from  history. 

Achillas  Egyptian.  Was  killed  by  Arsinoe  (Ptolemy's 
sister)  and  the  eunuch  Ganymed  in  the  year  after  Pom- 
pey's  murder. 

ON  THE  HOUSE  OF  POMPEY,  AFTER  THE 
MURDER. 

Cornelia.  After  seeing  her  husband  killed,  fled  to  Gyrene, 
and  thence  to  Rome,  where,  in  tune,  Pompey's  ashes  were 
brought  to  her.  She  is  said  to  have  buried  them  '  in  a  town 
of  hers  by  the  city  of  Alba,'  hi  Liguria. 

Cn.  Pompeius  Magnus,  the  Triumvir's  eldest  son,  by  his 
third  wife,  Mucia,  held  Corcyra  for  a  tune,  showing  courage 
and  bold  strategic  ideas.  On  hearing  of  his  father's  death, 
he  went  to  Spain,  where  he  raised  a  great  army.  He  was 
defeated  at  the  bloody  battle  of  Munda,  hi  the  year  45. 
Soon  after  the  battle,  he  was  betrayed,  taken  and  killed. 
His  head  was  carried  to  Seville  and  exposed  there  to  the 
public  gaze. 

Sextus  Pompeius  Magnus.  The  younger  son  (also  by 
Mucia)  continued  the  war  hi  Africa,  with  Gate's  party,  till 


POMPEY  THE  GREAT  137 

after  the  battle  of  Thapsus.  He  then  joined  his  brother  in 
Spain.  After  Caesar's  murder,  he  was  proscribed  by 
Octavian,  and  took  the  seas,  with  a  fleet,  burning,  sinking 
and  intercepting  commerce,  till  Octavian  came  to  terms. 
On  the  recommencement  of  war  between  them,  his  fleet 
was  beaten  by  Octavian's  fleet  under  Agrippa.  After  try- 
ing vainly  to  beat  up  a  force  in  Asia,  he  was  taken  and  put 
to  death  at  Miletus  (probably  by  the  order  of  Mark 
Antony)  in  the  year  35.  He  left  a  daughter  whose  fate  is 
uncertain.  She  was  with  him  in  Asia  in  36. 

Pompeia.  The  daughter  (also  by  Mucia)  married 
Faustus,  the  son  of  Sulla,  who  was  killed  with  Afranius  in 
the  mutiny  of  the  troops  of  P.  Sitius,  hi  Africa  hi  46.  She 
afterwards  married  L.  Cornelius  China.  It  is  not  known 
when  she  died;  but  it  is  certain  that  she  predeceased  her 
brother,  Sextus.  She  had  a  son  by  Cornelius  Cinna,  who 
came  to  be  Consul  hi  A.  D.  5.  What  became  of  her  children 
by  Faustus  is  not  known. 


And  all  their  passionate  hearts  are  dust, 
And  dust  the  great  idea  that  burned 
In  various  flames  of  love  and  lust 
Till  the  world's  brain  was  turned. 

God,  moving  darkly  in  men's  brains, 
Using  their  passions  as  his  tool, 
Brings  freedom  with  a  tyrant's  chains 
And  wisdom  with  the  fool. 

Blindly  and  bloodily  we  drift, 

Our  interests  clog  our  hearts  with  dreams. 

God  make  my  brooding  soul  a  rift 

Through  which  a  meaning  gleams. 

Feb.  8,  1908.  July  5, 1909. 


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